


Consequences of Being Touched

by fems



Series: Touched [1]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alien Virus, Angst, Episode: s01e05 The Broca Divide, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Season 8, Touched, UST, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-01
Updated: 2011-06-12
Packaged: 2017-10-27 12:50:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 35
Words: 127,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/296038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fems/pseuds/fems
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>General O'Neill orders the mountain sealed off when a seemingly harmless cold turns out to be an alien virus that is slowly changing those who were affected by the Touched-virus seven years ago. As the disease is spreading, memories and bonds thought long forgotten unfold, revealing what really happened all those years ago. How will all this affect the current relationships and how can it be cured?</p>
<p>
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</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers: The Broca Divide (1x05), Divide and Conquer (4x05), Beneath the Surface (4x10), Frozen (6x04), Abyss (6x06), Grace (7x13), Heroes (7x17, 7x18), Chimera (7x15), New Order (8x01, 8x02), Affinity (8x07).

As he finished toweling down, Jack opened his locker and pulled out a clean pair of BDUs. The ones with the single star on its collar. It had been a couple of weeks since his promotion to brigadier general and thus base commander, but he still wasn't used to it. At least he'd gotten to promote a few folks personally, especially Carter. She deserved it. He reluctantly got dressed, straightened his BDU jacket and, with a sigh, left the locker room. Back to work. He'd gone boxing with Teal'c instead of going to the commissary and have lunch.

He nodded to the few airmen he ran into on his way to his personal quarters, picking up the wrapped sandwiches he'd dumped there before going to the gym and slowly walked towards the stairs. At least that Tok'ra snake, Kanan had fixed his knees before letting him get tortured to death – several times – by Ba'al.  _Yeah, not such a pleasant memory_ , he grimaced, once again wondering why the hell he had allowed them to snake him in the first place. Yes, he'd been dying, but he wasn't afraid of death – if he had been, he sure as hell had chosen the wrong profession.  _Nope_ , he told himself, rolling his eyes.  _It were those goddamned baby blues of Carter_. He was a sucker for those eyes… for anything Carter-related, actually. He opened the door leading to the stairs after bypassing the elevator and, sandwiches in one hand and a yoyo in the other descended the two levels to his office.

Ever since that…  _incident_  earlier this year with Carter in the elevator, he'd chosen to take the stairs at every opportunity. Lest he overheard her humming again, especially now that she was  _engaged_ to that cop. Despite being frozen for a while, he could still remember that awkward conversation months ago in the car where she'd claimed her new fling was nothing serious – yet she'd been humming. He'd felt forced to say it was 'great' while he just wanted to confirm that, yes, it was very pathetic for her to be set up by her brother with a friend of his. Not because of her, she was Carter after all; a national treasure with her huge honkin' brain and killer smile – not to mention the rest of her assets…

Well, maybe it  _was_  because she is Carter; she is as close to perfection one could come without being boring or pretentious. She didn't  _need_  to be set up with anyone, she could probably have any guy she wanted. He knew there were plenty of men here on base – himself included – that would cut off a limb if it meant they could be with her and just as many if not more would give their life for her. Admittedly, a lot of guys who had been somewhat seriously involved with her  _had_  actually died, but that was besides the point – it wasn't her fault. And it's not like he wouldn't risk his life for her; she already had his heart after all. Hell, he'd  _already_  given his life for her plenty of times. What had that cop done for Carter? Besides stalking her and running a background check. No, Mark setting up Carter with some pal of his just showed he didn't know the  _real_  Carter. The cop didn't either, but everyone here at base did. He did, and loved everything about her.

But it looked like their time would never come after all, now that she was engaged to Shanahan. That smarmy little weasel. Obviously, he was taking advantage of Carter's wish for a normal life. Then again, she had been  _humming_. Jack hadn't known she could do that about anything other than… quarks. He snorted as he opened the door to level twenty-seven and entered the corridors. He'd tried some levity during that ride as well, but it had still been awkward as hell. Still, he loved her, wanted her to be happy and if he couldn't be the one to  _make_  her happy… she'd been humming, after all. Something about that cop must make her happy. And he  _so_  didn't want to think about what it was exactly.

Once upon a time he'd believed in fairy tales and happy endings. Then he grew up and now, about forty-five years later he knew there was no such thing – not for him. Especially not when it came to him and Carter. At least she would get her happy ending, even if it was without him. When things had finally returned to somewhat normal between them, she'd become a bit distant. Of course, being the masochist he apparently is, Jack went to see her and ask what was wrong. In hindsight, that was probably the biggest mistake he could have made. His heart had started pounding the moment she'd reached for the velvet box although he'd remained calm on the outside – at least, he hoped he had. Then she'd shown him that gaudy ring and started blabbing about marrying that cop and whatnot. To his surprise, he'd carried off the conversation quite easily, even tried to stop her from worrying about kids.

Despite the scowl on his face and the thoughts in his head, Jack still managed to politely nod at the SFs in the hallway before entering his office. Closing the door, he plopped down into his chair and, leaning his elbows on the desk and letting his head rest upon his hands, closed his eyes briefly. He remembered how she'd blinked during that conversation about kids before aiming that blue gaze of hers on him and asking him the question that had made him swallow, hard. Groaning, he pushed the heels of his hands against his eyes and scrubbed his face as he straightened in his chair.  _What if things_ had _been different?_

A knock on the door disturbed his musings and Jack glared at it. "Enter."

"Sir?" Walter peeked inside the office of the base commander. Once the general hadn't shown his face in the control room and wasn't pacing the briefing room, Walter had suspected the man was holed up in his office.

"What?"

He inwardly flinched, but outwardly, he didn't give an inch as the general barked at him. Or glared like he was the personification of a Goa'uld System Lord. "The debriefing with SG-6 is in ten, Sir."

Jack sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Yeah yeah," he made a dismissive wave with his hand. "Thanks Walter."

"Yes Sir," he nodded and immediately retreated to the safety of the control room.

Quickly unwrapping the sandwich, he took a few large bites and chewed as he put away his yoyo. He'd been doing debriefings all day and although he was glad his men – and women – were returning safely, he could do without a few more. At least it was better than paperwork. Swallowing, Jack looked around his desk in the hopes of finding a glass of water – or even cold coffee - to get rid of the dry bread, but there was none, not even under the piles of paperwork. He'd get something in the briefing room, he decided, or else he'd tell Walter or some unsuspecting airman to get him a cup. At least that was one of the few privileges his new rank gave him.

* * *

"So, what are you so interested in?" Daniel asked, placing his tray in front of him as he sat down at the table Sam was already occupying. "A new experiment?" He frowned when she didn't respond and gently nudged her boot with his. "Sam?"

"Huh?" She muttered, looking up at him. She hadn't even noticed him approach. Reaching for her cup of coffee, Sam realized the contents had already cooled and grimaced as she pushed it away. Apparently, she'd been here longer than she'd thought.

Even though he was inclined to roll his eyes at her absentminded attitude, he didn't knowing he was the same when engrossed in his own research. "I was wondering what was so important to get your full attention. New experiment? That piece of technology SG-2 brought back yesterday?"

"No," she shook her head with a small smile. "Just going over some of the wedding planner's suggestion," she explained, tapping the folder.

"Wedding planner?" Daniel questioned, raising his brows in surprise. For all intents and purposes, Sam was a bit of a hands-on woman and he found it hard to imagine her delegating such an important event. Not to mention the costs. Weddings were quite expensive these days – unless one got married on Abydos, of course – and a wedding planner would only add to that.

"I know," Sam rolled her eyes and sighed. "You think that since I'm a control freak I'll have trouble letting someone else do the planning."

"No I wasn't," he protested. Seeing her quirk a delicate eyebrow, he chuckled bashfully. "I think of you more as a hands-on woman, not a control freak."

Making sure to place all the – alphabetically color labeled – papers back into the manila folder, she smiled at him. "Well, I just don't have the time to plan something that seems so trivial compared to the war we're fighting," she shrugged. "Now, I just give the wedding planner a list of preferences and she sends me back a list with options. I can afford it with all the hazard money we get and I really don't know where I would find the time to start looking for locations and-"

"It's okay, Sam," Daniel interrupted her. "I get it. Good for you."

She frowned suddenly, glancing around the commissary. "Where is the General?"

"Jack said he wouldn't be here," he shrugged, digging into his lunch.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked cautiously, instantly recognizing the phrase. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember the last time he'd had lunch with them or simply drop by her lab. Of course, that didn't have to mean anything; he was the base commander these days and that was a pretty demanding job.  _Still_ … he was also a bit distant whenever they  _were_  in the same room, or going over some mission reports.

After swallowing, Daniel grabbed his cup of coffee. "I don't know, that's what he said when I asked him if was going to join us for lunch. I think he was going to the gym with Teal'c instead. Sam?"

"I should get back to work," she mumbled, a bit upset that the General wouldn't join them – or was it just her? – but that he could find time to go work out with their Jaffa friend. He still had to eat, right? "I have to get back to that doohickey SG-2 brought back," she added, placing her stuff back on her tray. Tray in one hand and her folder in the other, she stood, silently wondering when exactly she'd started using Jack O'Neill's choice of words instead of her own.

Daniel nodded. "Okay, good luck," he still had some research of his own to do and he preferred to complete it before they had to go offworld again at the end of the week.

Sam turned towards the exit, dropped off her tray and made her way to the elevator to get back to her lab.

* * *

"… once the blizzard was over we left the cave we were hiding in and continued on our way. We headed into the direction of what was concluded to be a populated area from the data collected by the UAV and after a one-day trek, we reached the capital and made contact with the natives. They were very friendly and curious as they didn't get many visitors, Sir," Ty Barnes reported, leaning back in his chair. "After a quick assessment we," he glanced at First Lieutenant Fisher, his 2IC, "decided they weren't a threat and accepted their offer for formal introductions."

Jack fiddled with his ballpoint as Colonel Barnes was doing his part in the debriefing, his mind already drifting from sheer boredom. The team, SG-6 was specialized in recon and had been sent to P2X-913 for a four-day mission. The accumulated data had indicated a wintery landscape but as the UAV had continued its flight, it had showed some kind of civilization as the climate suddenly changed, showing balmy Mediterranean temperatures and lots of trees and sand. The scientists had been excited with this sudden change of climate and the architectural designs of the villages, not to mention that although their technological development seemed slightly inferior to Earth there was no sign of the Goa'uld.

He had given the go ahead for a recon mission, knowing that if they were able to establish friendly contact with the locals they could send some geeks back for more information. The first scheduled contact with the team – after twelve hours – had revealed them being caught unawares by a blizzard but they'd headed into the mountains to look for shelter. By the time Walter called back again, SG-6 was safely hidden away as the snow storm seemed to diminish and a couple of hours later they'd continued on their way to the city spotted by the UAV. "You stayed in the town?"

Ty Barnes sniffled, suppressing the urge to rub his nose and nodded. "Yes Sir. After initial contact we were brought to Strategos Kadano… from what we could tell he is similar to a general in the military, Sir."

"Ah," he replied succinctly. "Go on," Jack motioned with his hand, even though he'd rather go home and watch a new episode of  _The Simpsons_.

"Strategos Kadano introduced us to their leader or president or… whatever," Ty shrugged, frowning.

Ronald Brooks glanced at his CO and, receiving a curt nod, took over. After all, he was the one of their team who was more interested in these situations and new cultures, even if he didn't know as much as most of the anthropologists working here at the SGC. "Anax Dekeseu was willing to hear us out and he and his wife, Akoto insisted we stay to learn more. We tried to explain about our mission only being recon and make first contact, but they were very determined… Proxenos Madi invited us in her home, she's the wife of Strategos Kadano, by the way, Sir."

Jack groaned, rubbing his forehead as he already felt a headache coming on as Lieutenant Brooks kept going on and on. Daniel was going to have a field day with this planet. "So you stayed in town for the night?"

"Yes Sir," Roger Fisher confirmed, effectively cutting off what his teammate was saying. "The next few days Prytanis Kuruku showed us around a bit and talked about their day-to-day business. After that, Karo… a historian or something," he shrugged coughing slightly, not having paid much attention to what she'd been talking about. Her outfit, however, had definitely caught his eye. The robe the women had been wearing were open to the navel, leaving most of their breasts exposed and damn, but it was hard not to look. "Anyway, she told us about how their god had created them generations ago and that some still believed he would return."

"Very much like it is here on Earth, Sir," Ty added. "Anyway, we didn't have a lot of time to go into detail, although they were willing to share, since we had to go back to the gate. Prytanis Kuruku explained that although the climate in Cnossus was balmy it would still be snowing over the border."

He grimaced, the names and titles making his head spin. "The city was named Cnossus?"

"And the uninhabited land around The Bright Plains, Sir."

"Bright huh?"

Sheldon Ryan chuckled, remembering being blinded by the sunlight lighting up the snowy landscape even more. "With all that snow it was definitely bright, Sir."

Nodding, Jack placed the data analyses and MALP pictures back into the folder. He noticed Airman Ryan sniffling and cleared his throat. "Make sure to inform the archeology department, I'm sure those geeks are dying to get their hands on those pictures you brought back. Did you have your post-mission checkup already?"

"The infirmary was crowded, Sir," Ty replied, glancing at his men. "The nurses checked us out for injuries, frost bite and hitchhiking Goa'uld, but said to come back later for the results of the blood tests and everything; something about the lab being backed up already."

He sighed, rolling his eyes as he recalled the CMO informing him of this already yesterday. Apparently, the backlog hadn't been cleared yet after the Hak'tyl had left last week and most of the off-world teams had made it back this week. "Great," he groaned. "I'll have Fraiser call me as soon as they're in."

"Yes Sir," the four men chorused.

"Have your reports on my desk by the end of the week," he muttered, still not used to uttering those words. Moreover, not used to actually  _reading_  all those reports. He didn't think he ever would. Luckily, he could gather the important information from these debriefings, skim the reports and just send them through to Hammond at Homeworld Security. "Dismissed," he waved his hand.

* * *

Daniel looked up from his notebook as the elevator opened on level eleven. The doors slid open, revealing a waiting Jack O'Neill. "Jack! I just heard about SG-6's mission!"

"You don't say," he replied sarcastically, eyeing the excited archeologist. Apparently, Barnes or one of his men really had gone straight to the geeks, because he hadn't expected Space Monkey to have heard already. "Heading topside?" Jack asked as he joined his friend in the car.

"Ah, no," he grinned. "Walter said you'd gone up to the commissary and I was-"

He rolled his eyes and punched the button for his office. "You want the follow up mission," he predicted.

"Think about it, Jack!" Daniel exclaimed, waving his arms around in the small space. "I saw some of the video they'd made; there is so much we can learn about their culture!"

"Yeah," he let out a deep sigh, wondering if Siler could make the elevator go faster. He preferred an escape route whenever Danny-boy wanted something and he definitely could have used a faster elevator a few months ago with Carter. It was a shame the commissary was all the way up to level three, otherwise he could take the stairs. The cafeteria kitchen on twenty-two just didn't have any good cake and he preferred the coffee from the commissary too.

At least the chance of running into Carter was very slim considering she supposedly already left the mountain. Probably to go home to her cop and make some more wedding plans. He should be happy that he could avoid her for now, because ever since he'd taken command of the base and she'd become the base's 2IC there weren't that many times he could. But despite everything – her getting a life to be more precise – he still enjoyed having her around. He couldn't think of anyone else as his second in command, although Reynolds was probably somewhat qualified as well. But he'd worked with Carter for years and she was as efficient as humanly possible.

"Jack?"

"Huh?"

Daniel sighed, exasperated. "You weren't listening, were you?"

Jack quirked an eyebrow as the car stopped and the doors slid open. "I'll think about it. After all, SG-1 is scheduled for a mission at the end of the week."

"But this is more important!"

"I'll talk to Carter," he offered, shrugging. Before the archeologist could say another word, Jack stalked off into the corridors heading for his office. He knew Daniel would know not to follow him and keep on nagging; his friend could be persistent but he also knew not to push him too far.  _Crap_ , Jack thought as he realized this meant another conversation with his lovely second. Scratching his neck, he grimaced and slowly padded over to the briefing room, stopping in front of the large window. One of the teams from the Alpha Site was loading supplies on a FRED, almost ready to send it through.

It would only be a couple of months, he realized as he stared at the activated wormhole. It had been a couple of weeks now since Carter had accepted the cop's proposal and he knew she was already planning and plotting for her big day. Knowing Carter, it wasn't going to be anything less than perfect and since he hadn't gotten an invitation yet – he was pretty sure she wanted him there – he figured it would be, what… six or seven months from now? Probably three months from when he'd get that nicely engraved, personalized invitation in his mailbox. Since that first time she strode into the briefing room, all confident and with a huge chip on her shoulder he knew there was something about her. Pushing her through the wormhole as she'd been rambling about the event horizon had been one of the most effective ways to stop her techno-babble. He'd enjoyed teasing and challenging her on the first few missions, finding out what she was really made of and he'd been surprised when he really got to know Carter.

He silently wondered if she'd ever stop amazing him. Well, she'd certainly caught him off guard with her engagement. The fling with the cop too, really. It was true that he'd always told her to get a life, but he hadn't meant for her to go get one without him and get married to some stalking, mistrustful cop who didn't know the meaning of 'classified'. Why couldn't she be like normal people and get a dog or a cat, for crying out loud? Jack sighed and dipped his head. He wasn't being fair on her and he knew it. She deserved a normal life, even if he doubted someone like her would ever be content with such a life. Even if he  _knew_  she was too special to have a normal life. Too special to him; he loved her too much to hold her back, even if that meant letting go. Squaring his shoulders and straightening, he threw a last glance at the open wormhole and walked over to his office, ready for more paperwork.


	2. Chapter 2

Walking into her house, Sam stomped her feet on the mat to get rid of the snow on her boots before dropping the bag of groceries on her counter and walked over to the answering machine. There was a message from Pete, confirming that he'd be in Colorado Springs this weekend as they'd planned. He'd asked for a transfer from Denver to Colorado Springs PD a while ago, even before he'd asked her to marry him but he was still waiting for it to be approved – or denied, which she was hoping wouldn't happen. For the time being, he was keeping his apartment in Denver and she still had her house here.

As the answering machine went on to a message from her brother, Mark, she silently wondered what Pete's plans were for when he would be working here. Would he expect to move in here or would they get a new place together? Rent an apartment or a house or buy? She'd bought this place years ago, when she was sure that she'd be stationed at the SGC for quite some time. It was cheaper than renting and the down payment was no problem for her; she'd been investing her mother's inheritance for years and was quite good at it and since she hardly ever spent any time on Earth she never got to spend her hard-earned salary on anything. Besides, she had everything she needed already.

" _Hiya Samantha! It's me,"_  Sam winced as the answering machine beeped and the next message sounded, instantly recognizing the fake chipper tone of voice belonging to the wedding planner.  _"Elaine! I just wanted to check to see what progress you and your fiancé Pete have made since our last appointment. Call me!"_

She rolled her eyes as she unpacked the groceries, ignoring the urge to imagine zatting Elaine. The woman could really get on her nerves with her attitude and mannerisms. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Sam silently wondered how Elaine was capable of running a business as important as planning weddings. But so far, her suggestions had been relatively good. Although she hadn't really done that much work yet, since Sam herself had already prepared most of it when they decided to hire her. She had figured it would save them time if the wedding planner knew about their preferences and everything they had done or contemplated so far.

Despite the cold outside, Sam rested her head on the shelf of the fridge letting out a groan once she was done filling it. She hadn't been entirely honest with Daniel; it hadn't been her idea to hire a wedding planner. The entire big wedding thing hadn't been her idea. It wasn't like she had so many friends and relatives and of those, there was only a handful that were important to her. Mostly her team, Janet, Cassie, the General and some other people at the SGC. With her hectic life she didn't have time to make new friends and it was hard for her to connect to others, always had been. Her intelligence had always complicated friendships because her interests were so completely different to those of people her age or her colleagues wouldn't be interesting enough to see each other outside of work. That had changed when she joined the SGC, though. Daniel was the same as her, the General and Teal'c understood her military side and Janet… well, she was probably the first best friend she'd ever had. Cassie had simply stolen her heart the moment she finally came out of the bushes on Hanka.

Sighing, she leaned back, closed the fridge and got the folder with the wedding stuff out of her briefcase. Everything was neatly organized and color-coded; it didn't take her long to get out the guest list. Even after writing down all the names of people she felt she initially could, would or should invite to her wedding her list was rather… short, compared to Pete's. Her eyes went over the names of her friends and her brother and his family… she hadn't invited her dad yet, simply because they hadn't been able to get in touch with him. He and Selmak were off on another long-term covert mission of course. And Elaine had been bugging her about it since they met – not that she was aware of what her father was doing of course, but she was very adamant that her Dad should meet Pete's parents and needed to be included in some of the planning.

Sam chuckled softly as she imagined her father's response to being told she recalled him from infiltrating the ranks of one of the last Goa'uld so he could meet her fiancé and his parents. Although he was a bit old fashioned, she doubted he actually wanted to be included in the planning and, more importantly, the financial side of her upcoming wedding. She reached for the phone and, looking up Elaine's number, dialed the wedding planner.

" _Hi, you've reached Elaine Hawkins; please leave a message and number so I can call you back ASAP!"_

Frowning, she did as told and waited for the beep. "This is  _Sam_  Carter," she emphasized her first name, already having told Elaine to call her Sam not Samantha. "I wanted to return your call to inform you about my progress and additional plans. Oh, and don't bother calling me on weekdays because I work long hours and I don't have reception at work." Sam told her – again, for the fourth time – and recited her number before hanging up.

Just as she was making herself some coffee, her phone rang again. "Carter," she answered it absentmindedly, filling the coffee machine.

" _Hey Sammie,"_ her brother's voice sounded.

"Hi Mark," she smiled, keeping the phone pressed between her ear and shoulder as she finished up with the machine and turned it on. "How are you?"

" _Fine, you?"_

Nodding she replied she was. "And the family?"

" _Doing great too_."

Sam nodded and walked into the living room, plopping down on the couch. "So…?" She felt she needed to break the silence and like always when on the phone with her brother, she had no idea what to talk about. Work was off-limit since she couldn't really tell him about all the aliens she met and how she'd participated in a dangerous space race and he never wanted to talk about his work. Mark used to tell her about the kids, but they were in their teens already and didn't really want to hang out with their parents so he didn't really know what was going on in their lives. Besides, she'd been to visit a couple of weeks ago, together with Pete for Mark's birthday.

" _Didn't you get my message?"_ Annoyance came through loud and clear.

Oh, right! He'd left a message on her answering machine. But her mind had been preoccupied and she had to admit she hadn't really been listening. "Um-"

Mark sighed loudly, obviously irritated by her behavior.  _"Never mind, I don't know why I even bother leaving a message…"_

"I'm sorry," Sam apologized quickly, "really Mark, I didn't mean to-"

" _It's okay, I'm not mad… after all, I know you, Sammie_ ," he chuckled.  _"Anyway,_ " he cleared his throat, " _I was wondering if you'd heard anything from Dad? Have you told him about the wedding?"_

She frowned at the cordless receiver in her hand. That's what he wanted to talk about? "No, nothing yet. He was busy and-"

" _Incommunicado, you can't tell me, it's classified, yada yada yada,"_  he interrupted her.  _"Do you have any idea when he'll be back?"_

"Nope," she replied curtly.

Another sigh.  _"Alright… Laura wanted to know if you have decided about a caterer."_

Sam gnawed her lip, wanting to say that yes, her sister-in-law's little company could do the catering for her wedding, but she still hadn't talked about it with Pete. He and Mark were good friends, but Pete had been the one insisting on a big wedding and doing everything right because he loved her and wanted to make it their special day. That included going over a selection of vendors, not just picking someone because they happened to be family. "Well, actually, I haven't had a chance to talk to Pete about it; he's coming over this weekend and we already have it on our agenda, so I'm going to have to get back to you on that…"

" _That's okay_ ," her brother reassured her.  _"She just wanted to check with you before she took on another client."_

"I'll let you know as soon as possible," she promised. After all, she felt like she owed them; Mark had introduced her to Pete and Laura had helped her with the first plans for the wedding and eventually helped her look for a good wedding planner here in Colorado. In hindsight, perhaps she wasn't that grateful to Laura… of course, she shouldn't judge Elaine on her personality but on the work she delivered. "Look Mark, I'm really tired and just got home-"

He chuckled softly.  _"Don't worry about it, Sis! I'll leave you alone now! Say hi to Pete for me, bye!"_

"Bye Mark, give my love to Laura and the kids," Sam managed before he hung up. Slowly getting up, she walked to the kitchen to grab herself a cup of coffee. She hadn't been lying; she was tired. The General had let her go home early, probably relieved she finally asked to go home instead of working overtime. Since then she'd managed to organize the budget for the wedding, made a selection from the overview of vendors Elaine had given them, worked on her guest list – which didn't take very long – and picked out some themes she had to discuss with Pete. And she'd done the groceries. Now she was tired and wanted to crawl in bed. But yawning, she decided to lose the coffee and just hit the sack. She'd have plenty of time to look it over in the morning before her meeting with the General.

* * *

 _His lips were devouring hers, tugging, biting and licking and she kept coming back for more. Her lips following his, she tried to thrust her tongue back into his mouth as he pulled back and sucking on the muscle when he claimed hers. He finally pulled back as something kept nagging at him, telling him he shouldn't be doing this. But he_ wanted _to do this, do her. Panting, he looked down at her. Her lips were swollen and glistening in the dim light, her tongue peeking out to lick at them. Moving his hand from the back of her head to cup her jaw, he traced the bottom lip with his thumb. Brushing against it, pulling on it and touching the pink tip of her tongue as he pushed it between her lips. "You want me, Carter?"_

" _Yes Sir," she replied breathlessly. She seemed to revel in his reaction; the hand that had found his way to her ass tightening, his hips pressing against the apex of her thighs and his thumb smearing her saliva over her lips. His hold on her only allowed minimal movement of her hips, but she still ground against him. Her tongue darting out to taste his thumb as her eyes held his. "I need you."_

 _Jack smirked, feeling powerful with her quivering body in his arms. He could take her right here and she wouldn't object. He wanted to, but he shouldn't, he knew that. But why not? She was offering herself to him and he'd be damned if he sent her off to the infirmary only for her to throw herself at someone with less scruples. "Need me?" he questioned, enjoying taunting her a bit, taking pleasure in her uninhibited behavior. She was so… responsive to him. Leaning forward, he brushed her ear with his lips. Darting out his tongue out to follow its contours, before he bit the lobe. "You couldn't handle me, Carter."_

Gasping, he opened his eyes. It took Jack a few moments to realize where he was; in his house, on the couch. He must have fallen asleep after a late dinner, since the TV was still on. Grumbling, he grabbed the remote and hit the kill switch. He placed both feet on the floor, elbows on his knees and let his head rest in his hands. Damn, but that had been vivid. God, he was still hard. Clenching his teeth, he pushed the heel of his hand against his erection to relieve some of the pressure. After a few moments, he stood and grabbed his plate. Sauntering over to the kitchen he tried to ignore the throbbing as he placed the plate in the sink. He took a deep breath and headed for the bathroom. For a cold shower.

He grabbed a towel and quickly took off his clothes, letting out a small sigh of relief when he dropped his pants and boxers. Waiting for the water to turn lukewarm, Jack threw the clothes in a hamper and stepped into the shower, fisting his hands against the temperature. He refused to jerk off, no matter how vivid the dream seemed. Carter was his friend and she was getting married to that cop in a couple of months. She was engaged to that smarmy guy and no longer his to… fantasize about? God, he was pathetic. Not that she'd ever been his any respect. Still, he refused to become a dirty old general who thought about a junior officer, a subordinate – his  _2IC_  – while pleasuring himself. Besides, he didn't think he could look her in the eye in a couple of hours for their weekly morning briefing.

Ignoring his needs, he turned off the hot water and, clenching his teeth, braved the cold until he couldn't take it anymore. "Damn you, Carter," he mumbled, turning off the water and reaching for the towel he'd brought. She'd ruined him for other women, he couldn't look at them and not think of her. Damn her. Apparently, he couldn't have her but he couldn't have anyone else either. Muttering to himself, Jack toweled off and tossed the towel over the shower wall, walking naked towards his bedroom. He could only hope he would fall into a dreamless sleep, because he wasn't sure if he could handle another cold shower. He would need one though, if he'd have another one of those dreams. Damn, but it had seemed so real! But it couldn't be, because he would have remembered something like  _that_  happening!

* * *

Sam took the last sip of her coffee and padded over to the bathroom. After waking up from a dreamless night, she'd gone over some of the wedding preparations and made some notes. She needed to discuss some stuff with Pete this weekend, because she wasn't sure she agreed with what Elaine the wedding planner had suggested. She sighed and grabbed her toothbrush. It all seemed so meaningless compared to what was  _out there_. Only half an hour before she had to be at the mountain. She'd easily make it, though. She only had to brush her hair, put on some light makeup and grab her coat.

It was time for the weekly meeting with the General, to go over the latest mission reports and plan next week's off-world schedule. As a little girl she'd always dreamed of becoming an astronaut and even though she'd been quite successful in the Air Force, she hadn't pictured herself becoming second-in-command to a military base. Not yet, at least. She was still young  _and_  a woman – it was still 'this man's army', as Janet's ex-husband had oh so eloquently said. She hadn't been sure she was ready for this work, not on top of her scientific duties  _and_  commanding SG-1. Hell, she hadn't been certain she was ready to lead the flagship team. But, as always, General O'Neill had the utmost confidence in her and she wanted to make him proud. It was ridiculous, she was aware of that, but she'd always been ambitious and eager to please her superiors – in a professional manner.

That was all he was these days… her superior. Her commanding officer. General Jack O'Neill, commanding officer of Stargate Command. No longer her Colonel, SG-1's CO… the man she'd hoped to share her life with in every possible way. Nope, now he was just the base commander. At least she was still his trusted 2IC. Sam wasn't sure when the shift in their relationship had taken place. She couldn't pinpoint when she'd first realized her feelings for him were unprofessional, although she'd been attracted to him since day one.  _Who wouldn't be?_

Spitting out the toothpaste, Sam rinsed her mouth and grabbed her hairbrush. It hadn't taken her long to get infatuated with him, then she fell in love with him and he nearly died because he  _cared more than he was supposed to_. Whatever that meant. Okay, so they both almost died. But he refused to leave and save his own life. Apparently that didn't mean much in the grand scheme of things – or in Jack O'Neill's world. She sighed and stopped the aggressively brushing of her short locks. Throwing the brush on the counter, she grimaced. It appeared there had been more between them for quite some time, especially when they were Jona and Thera. Then out of nowhere, she realized his feelings for her might not compare to those she had for him. He always maintained professional, never hinted at more. Or so she thought… she honestly couldn't remember. Maybe she had just interpreted his words and actions the way she  _wanted_  to, thought more of them because he was a man and she was a woman – she knew he cared a lot about Daniel and Teal'c too. She had  _wanted_  him to reciprocate his feelings. He'd never really made them known, she practically had to drag them out of him and only succeeded because his brain would have ended up on Anise's autopsy table – or whatever the Tok'ra equivalent would be.

Then she'd been stranded on  _The Prometheus_  and had been having conversations with… well, herself obviously. But she'd realized she'd been using Jack O'Neill as her safe bet. Normally she probably wouldn't have accepted something so readily, but his reaction to her whispering his  _first_  name when she woke up in the infirmary had been all the evidence she needed. Although she'd still been divided about her feelings for him and what she should do with them afterwards. At times like those, she hated not having any female friends. Well, of course she had Janet, but no matter how much she meant to her she couldn't confide in her. Not about her feelings for her  _CO_. Janet was military as well. Not that she couldn't be trusted, the doctor worked at the SGC for crying out loud! Still, she would place her best friend in an awkward position and she wouldn't do that to her, not if the only purpose would be feeling slightly better herself. Besides, Janet would tell her exactly the same thing; it was against the regs.

Sam frowned as she reached for her makeup. It had been over eight months since Janet was injured on P3X-666 and for a moment it had looked as if the petite doctor wouldn't make it. Thankfully, she'd pulled through. According to the then-Colonel it would take more than a staff blast to the chest to get rid of the Napoleon Power Monger. They'd all laughed, although Janet had glared at him momentarily, obviously storing that comment for future events – and physicals. Sam wouldn't know what to do if she'd lost her best friend back then. Janet herself had been upset she'd been unable to save the young airman she was tending to when she got shot, especially because he was about to become a father. Everyone had reminded her of how important the doctor was to them, not just professionally but also personally. Everyone at the SGC loved her, even General O'Neill. And Cassie – Sam couldn't imagine what it would be like for the young alien girl to lose her second mother!

"Crap," she muttered, glancing at the clock. She was going to be late if she kept reminiscing like this. Applying the final touch, Sam placed the makeup back on the counter and walked out to the door. Grabbing her coat, keys and bag she made her way out of the door to her Volvo.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack yawned discreetly as Carter was rambling on about the specifics of one of the planets the SG-teams were going to investigate next week. It was an unknown planet so obviously they were going to send a recon team; that much was for sure. They only had to decide on which of the available recon teams. At the moment, his lovely second-in-command was talking about the planet's weather patterns and daytime hours. Not that it wasn't useful – it was – but he wasn't really interested in that right now. But, true to her nature, Carter always considered the previous missions of the available team, making sure they had some variation in their missions. When Hammond had still been in charge of the base, it had mostly been her going over the MALP data as well, especially in the beginning and he'd been blissfully unaware unless the mission was for his team. Now, he had to listen to it all  _and_  hear it again at the mission briefings. Well, at least it was Carter… he figured it could be worse if a  _real_  geek had been doing the talking and explaining.

Not that he was paying much attention. He was hearing her, but not  _listening_ to her. Just enjoying the sound of her voice as she rattled on. Watching those lovely pink lips move and those bright blue eyes shine with excitement – God, he had it bad. He was turning in such a sap at his old age. He sighed and took a sip from his coffee. Jack let her do most of the scheduling, as she needed the experience. He'd been in the field for years – decades even – and a lot of those had been while commanding a team, strategizing, plotting and scheming. As the base's second-in-command, he'd continued to do so when he started out at the SGC, conferring with Hammond at the time. It had been new for both of them, for everyone really, to plan and go on missions to other planets, traipsing around the galaxy. Now, he had seven years of experience and it was time to let the new base's 2IC take over those duties – save him more time for paperwork…

Never one to miss an opportunity, Jack took his time observing her. Taking in every detail of her. He stifled a moan when her tongue darted out to wet her lips during her techno-babble and silently berated himself for getting carried away. It wasn't his fault though; it was because of his dream last night. His very vivid dream. The rest of the night he'd been restless and he hadn't slept very well, waking up several times knowing he'd woken himself up when his dreams had gone back to Carter. He canted his head, letting his eyes roam her profile. His dream had been so… realistic, every little detail about her face was right. Her hair looked blonder now though, not that he spent so much time looking at her hair but it had just seemed less golden or something. She'd worn it wild, the short strands tousled from his hands most likely – as that was something he longed to do. Either way, she looked hot and he couldn't help but squirm a bit in his seat as more memories of his dream assaulted him.

"…alone would be great, but the alliance- Sir?" Sam interrupted herself midsentence as the General squirmed and she frowned. "You don't agree?"

"Huh?" He raised a brow and awkwardly cleared his throat. "Why wouldn't I agree?" Jack cautiously asked, wondering what she was talking about. She looked a bit affronted so he would probably agree with whatever it was.

Turning fully towards him in her chair, she dropped her pen on the table and gnawed her lip. "Well," Sam started, a bit unsure. He seemed awfully absentminded, even for the General! "I'm not sure, Sir and-"

" _You_ 're not sure so you think I would agree to myself disagreeing with you?" he questioned, frowning at his own phrasing.

Confused, Sam stared at him for a moment. "No Sir, it just appeared that…"

He silently motioned with his hand for her to continue as her voice trailed off, once again reaching for his coffee cup with his other hand.

"You don't think I can handle it," she finally said what she'd suspected was the case when he showed unease during her explanation.

Jack almost choked on his coffee, swallowing it before starting to cough loudly when she replied. He vaguely waved his hand around to reassure he was fine, still coughing to clear his windpipe. "What?" He spluttered, his mind already taking him back to his dream. Seeing her delicate frown, he cleared his throat – and dirty mind – and set his cup down. "Why would you think that?" He asked, still having no idea what she was talking about.

"Are you alright, Sir?" Sam ignored his question, a bit worried.

"Just peachy, Carter," he smirked, trying to stealthily wipe the last coffee spatters of his chin. "What?"

"Nothing, Sir," she smiled sheepishly. "Didn't mean to ups-"

He rolled his eyes. "It's fine, Carter. I'm sure you'll do great."

"Really?"

Seeing her beaming smile, Jack grinned back. Obviously his tactic was working, she'd even dropped the 'Sir'. "Of course, you're great at whatever you do," he mumbled.

"Great," Sam smiled genuinely, relieved. "I won't let it interfere with my duties, Sir."

"Huh?" Puzzled, he narrowed his eyes at her.

"The preparations?"

Jack raised his brow, silently questioning her. "… for?"

"Warrick requested my input for the designs of his new ship, Sir. He isn't allowed to take the designs off-world, so I will have to travel to Hebridan."

"Hebridan?" He repeated.

Letting out an awkward chuckle, Sam quickly bit her lip. "Yes Sir, the Loop of Kon Garat is still being held there."

"D'oh," Jack replied, finally connecting the dots. "When do you have to go, Colonel?"

"Well, I'm a bit swamped right now," she mused aloud. "Not that I can't handle it, Sir," she quickly tried to reassure him.

He grimaced and squirmed. "Of course not, Carter. So?"

"Probably in two or three weeks, if that is alright with you, Sir?"

"Sure," he replied casually. "SG-1 can use some downtime and there are only a few missions scheduled in the next three weeks. I'm not planning on going anywhere so you'd be good to go," he nodded to himself. "I'm just happy you're happy about something else than… quarks,"  _and your upcoming wedding_ , he silently added.

Sam knitted her brows together at the comment, before nodding. "Yes Sir," she tried humorously, not sure if she succeeded.

"And Shannon is okay with this?"

"Sir?"

Jack clenched his jaw, wondering why in the hell he asked her that – something personal. "Well, with you off to a space race."

"Simply advising on the schematics, Sir."

He cocked his head in disbelief. "Right," he snorted, not believing for a moment she wouldn't want to participate. "I was just wondering about your… wedding plans and everything," he grimaced to himself, chastising his brain for even thinking to ask that! Why did he have to keep bringing up her engagement and that cop?  _Oh yeah_ , he thought to himself,  _definitely a masochist._

"Oh, err… well," Sam stammered, surprised he'd brought up the subject. Besides that uncomfortable talk in her lab and a 'congratulations Colonel' later on, he hadn't mentioned anything about her engagement. "It's work, Sir, of course he would understand," she finally replied, sounding more confident about the issue than she actually felt. Seeing the surprise on his face at her little fib, she smiled bashfully. "Work- _related_ then, Sir."

"All in the name of interplanetary relations, huh Colonel?" Jack grinned at her, sitting back in his chair. Just as he was getting his cool back, she blushed. Her flushed face bringing back memories of his incredible dream. Clenching his fists, he tried to ignore the memory of her warm skin underneath his fingertips. How the blush had contrasted with her pale skin and made her blue eyes look even darker, how it deepened and disappeared beneath her top.

She nodded good-naturedly until she saw him grimace. "Sir? Is something wrong?" he seemed uncomfortable to her. "I promise the preparations won't take up too much of my time, Sir."

"I know," he almost growled, scowling at the file in front of him. The feelings were so strong, so intense it was almost as if he was experiencing them again. Scratching his neck, he looked up at her. "Don't worry about it, Carter. I know how much of an adrenaline junkie you are, as long as you promise not to get yourself killed you can copilot that ship." Jack winced at his words, only making it worse for himself as a vision of Carter in her leathers appeared to his mind's eye. He'd only seen her in them a handful of times, but the image had been burned on his retina the first time.

"Thank you, Sir," Sam grinned shyly, looking at her clasped hands. "But I'm not sure if Warrick needs me." Sensing the General's unease, her eyes darted up and took in his appearance. To anyone else he would appear the same gruff general, but she'd known him for years and could spot the slightly troubled look in his eyes. "Sir?"

"What?" He snapped, shaking himself mentally to get rid of the hot image.

"You seem… preoccupied."

The look in her eyes told him she was aware there was something else going on, but Jack decided to go with her choice of words. "Yeah, lot on my mind, Carter. Didn't get much sleep last night either," he added, suppressing a yawn.

"It has been rather busy lately," Sam conceded, referring to the latest missions and adventures. Not to mention the change in their ranks, both coming with their own duties and responsibilities. The transfer for her hadn't been that difficult once she'd gotten comfortable in her position as commander of the flagship team and started trusting her instincts and experience. The paperwork and everything hadn't changed much as she'd always been an overachiever and did her reports quite thoroughly. The position as 2IC to the base had taken some time but she was handling that pretty good now too. For the General, though, things must have changed enormously. Not only did he have an entire base to worry about, he also had mountains of paperwork to do  _and_  interact with the IOA, the President and the JCS – and General Hammond as director of Homeworld Security, but that wasn't very hard. "Janet is getting a bit stressed too, Sir," she cautiously mentioned.

He nodded, reining in his desires and taking back control. "I know, with the backlog and undermanned infirmary she's doing a great job," he acknowledged. "I've already requested more medical personnel, but they're difficult spots to fill, Colonel."

"Yes Sir," she nodded.

"Crap," he muttered, glancing at the clock. "I have a scheduled incoming wormhole in ten and a debriefing after that. Was there anything else?"

"Well, we haven't finished the schedule yet," Sam gently reminded him. Although she'd pretty much filled out the spots in her head, they hadn't discussed everything yet as she thought it prudent to mention Warrick's request as it might affect SG-1's upcoming missions.

Taking a deep breath, Jack pushed his chair back from the table. Damn, now he could smell that sweet Carter shampoo as she too leaned forward to push off her chair. "You can finish it, Carter. I trust you."

"Sir?"

"Just drop it on my desk before 1700 hours," he replied as he stood.

Surprised, she jumped up too, ignoring the urge to jump to attention. "Yes Sir," she grinned, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside by his faith in her. "Oh! What about SG-6's mission, Sir?"

"The one to P2X…?"

"-913 Sir," she filled in.

Jack nodded with pursed lips. "The one that got Daniel all excited."

"Yes, he told me you'd said you would discuss it with me, Sir," Sam replied, recalling the conversation she'd had with an overexcited Daniel at breakfast this morning.

"He wants SG-1 to take the follow-up mission, Carter."

She nodded. "Yes Sir, something about cultural relevance and bulls, I think," she gnawed her lip as she frowned. She hadn't been paying much attention as her friend had gone on and on about the planet and its culture, while her mind was thinking of her weekend with Pete and all the wedding stuff they had to discuss. "I will have to go over the upcoming missions again," she added, glancing at her notes.

"Don't worry about it Carter, the planet will still be there in two weeks. We already have sixteen missions for next week, one including SG-1. The Goa'uld haven't been on that planet in ages according to SG-6 so I'm sure they won't turn up now."

"I'll tell Daniel, Sir," Sam replied in understanding. She just hoped the archeologist would understand too.

Jack perked up at that. "I can do that," he smirked, rubbing his hands together.

"With all due respect, Sir," she smiled shyly, "I think he'll handle it better coming from me."

"I know," Jack replied with a twinkle in his eye.

Rolling her eyes, Sam let out a sigh. "I'll tell him, Sir."

"Fine," he huffed. "I'll be down there," he waved at the spiral staircase leading to the control room. "Don't forget that schedule, Colonel."

"I won't Sir," she beamed at him, tucking the manila folder under her arm before turning towards the door.

* * *

"Wow, it sure is busy here, Janet," Daniel remarked upon entering the infirmary.

Placing back a chart, she looked up. "Yes it is," she sighed. "You would think that with the Jaffa leaving their gods and joining the Free Jaffa, there would be fewer injuries for our people."

"I know," he acknowledged, glancing around the hospital beds and smiling at the faces he recognized. "I was just coming by for my antihistamines, but it can wait…"

Hearing his voice trail off, Janet looked over her shoulder and shrugged. "You're all out?"

"I need a refill, but I probably have enough to last the week," Daniel replied.

"But you will be going off-world at the end of the week, right?"

He nodded, feeling a bit uncomfortable asking for medication for his  _allergies_  when there were seriously injured people lying close by. "Like I said, it can wait."

"No, it's fine, Daniel," Janet gave him an encouraging pat on the hand and steered him away from the patients to get his meds. "I can take a break; there are other doctors and nurses here."

"You work yourself too hard," he commented, frowning a bit.

She let out a deep sigh and opened the medicine cabinet with her key. "We're understaffed; I can't ask anything of my people I won't do myself."

"I heard the lab was still backed up," he mumbled sympathetically.

Janet nodded, handed him the medication he needed and closed the cabinet again. "Yes, we have to make the decisions of which labs to run first and with this many patients some of the standard workups have to wait."

"Like?"

"Well, the patients are my number one priority and their labs are 'rushed'," she made air quotes, since it actually took longer than the normal non-rushed workups. "Physicals and regular checkups are postponed and I'm ashamed to admit we even have to choose between some of the post-mission blood work."

Daniel's brows flew up, making his glasses slide down his nose a bit. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"We do an exam and based on that, complaints and brief summary of the mission we have to pick and choose. It's only a few hours, a day tops but with the already existing backlog… We even have some of the scientists helping out with regular lab work and they're none too pleased about it, but most are understanding about the situation. After all, we can't have some alien virus or foothold situation going on here simply because they were too busy figuring out the properties of some alien plant."

"I get it," he grimaced. "Sam told me Jack said he's requested new personnel," suppressing his disappointment over hearing the mission to P3X-913 was going to have to wait, since this was about the infirmary, not about him, Daniel hoped he could cheer her up a bit with this news.

Tucking an errand strand of hair behind her ear, Janet nodded. "I know, the General already approached me about it weeks ago, but the higher ups are stalling. Budgets," she added with disgust. "I've only gotten about a dozen files and most of those people aren't what we're looking for."

"Well, I should let you get back to work," Daniel mentioned, hearing a nurse call her name. "See you soon."

"Bye Daniel," she smiled, before rushing back to the infirmary.


	4. Chapter 4

 

Pulling on the collar of his long sleeve, Jack strolled through the corridors heading for the infirmary. Not his favorite place, but at least he wasn't a mere colonel anymore. One of the good things about being promoted. Well, that and not having to undergo pre- and post-mission exams by little Napoleon and her minions. He definitely missed going offworld, but he could gladly live without those. Now that he was the base commander – a one-star general – the only thing in which the Doc could overrule him was medical issues. There was also no more Hammond around to order him to get checked out over something as little as a cut on his arm or face.

He turned the last corner and stepped over the threshold. Peering around the infirmary, it didn't take him long to find the petite brunette. "Doc," he called out, raising his brows in a silent question when her head snapped in his direction. He nodded to several of his men on the hospital beds, wincing as his eyes took in all the machinery and medication.

"General O'Neill?" Janet questioned, walking up to him. It was as if the infirmary was getting more crowded by the day and she could swear the number of patients were growing exponentially. Wrapping her stethoscope around her neck, she glanced up at him.

"Doc," he replied, his eyes narrowed at her snappy tone of voice.

Resting both hands on her hips, she arched an eyebrow. "With all due respect, Sir," she sighed and waved her hand around to encompass her infirmary, "I have patients to attend to. I told the head nurse to cancel all physicals, so if you could please come back later?"

"I'm not here for a physical," Jack grimaced and, realizing he sounded a bit petulant, pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "I'm still missing some reports, Doc."

"I am aware of that, Sir."

Motioning with his hand, he looked at her. "So…?"

"Unless someone mysteriously solved the problem of my undermanned staff overnight Sir, I don't have them yet." When suddenly everyone seemed to stop whatever they were doing and Janet could swear she'd hear a needle drop over the soft beeping from the hearth monitors – the only audible sound at the moment – her eyes widened in shock. Raising her hand, she covered her mouth with it. "I apologize, Sir. That was disrespectful and-"

Jack rested his hand on her shoulder and gave her a small grin. "Doc, I know… Hammond and I are working on it. As a matter of fact, you're supposed to receive a dozen or so personnel files by the end of the week. I just need to know I can send my people out there." Carter had delivered her schedule at his office way before 1700 hours yesterday and he was still missing some blood work for some of the airmen on that roster.

"Of course, Sir," she frowned, nodding. "One of the lab techs delivered some files about half an hour ago…"

"Your office?" He inquired, glancing around the infirmary to see if the CMO was needed anywhere.

Janet nodded and signaled to one of the nurses she would be back in a few minutes. "Follow me, Sir."

"How bad is the backlog?"

"Bad," she replied, turning left in the corridors and heading for the elevators.

Following her lead, Jack found himself wandering the same corridors he'd just come from. "Stairs," he simply said as Fraiser reached for the elevator button.

"The standard blood work usually takes between eight and twenty hours," Janet informed him as they took the stairs to level twenty-two, where her office was located. "It mostly depends on the work load in the lab," she explained. "A more extensive analysis takes up to thirty-six hours and sometimes a follow-up is needed because we're dealing with outer space, different planets and aliens."

He opened the door and let her go in first. "Yes…"

"With the backlog," she continued, stalking down very similar corridors as the ones on the level above. "It takes at least twenty-four to thirty hours for the results of standard blood work to reach my desk. Don't even get me started on the extensive analyses, Sir."

"I see," Jack mumbled as they turned the corner. "So, I take it you don't have the results yet of SG-6 and the teams that came after them?"

Entering her office, Janet quickly located the pile of paperwork and rummaged through the files. "SG-6?" She asked, absentmindedly.

"They got back from P2X-913 two days ago, on Monday?" He replied, leaning against the doorpost. "A simple recon turned into a first-contact mission and they stayed with the locals for about forty hours."

She nodded, remembering the exam she had done herself on two members of the team. "I highly doubt it, Sir." Making some notes, she looked up the older results and was happy to inform him that the three teams he'd been waiting for were all cleared. Of course, they still had to undergo a pre-mission exam, which might require another blood sample and analysis because they'd been on downtime for almost a week now since their return.

"Crap," Jack sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, before using his nails to scratch at an annoying itch. "Guess that means a delay in plans, huh?"

"Most likely," she acknowledged. "Are you alright, Sir?"

"Peachy," he replied, frowning. "Why?"

Placing the files back on her desk, Janet took a step closer and gestured to his face. "You look a bit flushed, Sir."

"It's hot in here," he whined, pulling on his collar.

"Maybe you should take the elevator instead of the stairs, Sir," Janet suggested, knowing that the temperature here was actually lower than the sometimes-tropic temperatures in the infirmary.

Jack rolled his eyes, exasperated. "It's about the only exercise I get these days, Doc."

"Yes Sir," she curtly replied. "Do you want me to go down to the lab to ask if they have the results for SG-6 and the rest, Sir?"

"I can go myself," he sighed.

"The results are confidential, Sir," she gently reminded him. "The lab only has a code for the samples, no names."

"Then, by all means, go get those results, Doc."

Ushering the General out of her office, Janet closed the door. "Don't get your hopes up, Sir."

"I never do," Jack replied. "You can find me in my office, doing  _paperwork_ ," he added with disgust.

"Yes Sir."

* * *

_Sam grabbed his shirt and pulled him flush against her, her hips grinding against his. "Want you," she told him, her eyes darting around the corridor._

_Jack tried to pull her off him, his fingers digging into the soft and warm skin of her waist. It was like her hands were everywhere, her arms wrapped tightly around him. He dropped his head to her shoulder, trying to keep himself under control as her short nails dug into his back and her other hand grabbed his six, making sure he couldn't move as she ground against him. Logically, he knew he could overpower her; though she was already level-three advanced, he was level-four and had been working in black ops for years. But he didn't want to hurt her – much – and her supple body felt so good pressed against him._

_Splaying his fingers over her skin, he felt her muscles tense under his palms and her nails dug even deeper into his back. The feeling elicited a small frisson of pleasure in him. "Carter," he groaned, his nose still buried in the crook of her neck. She had showered earlier and though there was a faint scent of a nondescript shower gel, her pure Carter-scent was invading his nostrils. The natural scent and warmth of her skin arousing him even further. Reining in his desires, he moved his hands up and straightened her top, trying to cover as much of her bare skin with it as possible. "Let go of me," he ordered, trying to push her away. When it was obvious she wouldn't obey and simply kept nuzzling and biting his neck, he grabbed her hips roughly and backed her into the wall next to him._

Jack woke with a groan and rubbed his face tiredly. He'd been having another one of those dreams, dammit! What the hell was wrong with him? "Pathetic," he mumbled, rolling over the side of his bed and landing with a thump on the floor. Silently hoping that a few pushups would clear his head. It wasn't that he never dreamed of Carter – he did – but they were so realistic and… erotic. Of course he had his fantasies about her, he was only human after all! But they weren't like these dreams that almost seemed to haunt him these past few days. With a grunt, he let himself fall on the floor, his arms no longer supporting his lean form. Exhausted, that was what he was. These dreams – or more likely the consequential sleepless nights and sexual frustration – were exhausting and yet he was expected to get up and go to the base. He'd never been one to sleep in, but right now… and he couldn't even call Carter – purely to function as the base's 2IC, nothing more – because SG-1 was going off-world today.

"Oh, for crying out loud," he muttered under his breath as he got up. Jack pulled off his shirt and flung it in the laundry basket before taking off his boxers too and starting the shower. His subconscious had the worst timing ever, because he had to be on base in half an hour and send Carter and her team off in less than two – he couldn't pleasure himself knowing that and face her. Just one look with those bright blue orbs and the guilty feelings would probably show on his face. It was bad enough she was moving on with that cop and he couldn't have her anymore – not that he ever  _could_  have her… but she couldn't know how he still dreamed of having a life with her, making love to her or simply have her in his life as something more than a coworker, second-in-command or friend. Let alone that he had dirty fantasies about her and pleasured himself while thinking of them. Nope, definitely couldn't tell her that!

Lathering his body and rubbing some shampoo in his hair, Jack tried to ignore his needs and stepped under the warm water to rinse it off. He wasn't sure he could take another cold shower. It was still freezing and there had been lots of snowfall last night when he turned in, the house was cold and he'd probably end up in the infirmary if he kept using cold showers several times a day before stepping out in the winter wonderland of Colorado Springs. Why couldn't he have dreams like this on the summer weekends when he had all the time to catch up on his sleep and cold showers without falling ill?

* * *

Rocking on his feet, Jack stuffed his fists in his pants as the elevator descended to level twenty-five. He'd checked at the sign-in and Carter wasn't here yet. Daniel and Teal'c were, but he wasn't surprised by that, they hadn't even left the base yesterday – but he'd felt compelled to ask, otherwise it could arise suspicion. As the car slowed and the doors opened, he looked around the mostly-empty corridor and walked towards the locker room to get dressed in his BDUs.

He grimaced at the smell of the room and made a mental note to ask Walter about getting someone to do something about it. Just because there were a lot of sweaty bodies in here every day, didn't mean it had to smell like there were a lot of sweaty bodies in here every day. He could swear the smell got worse every day or maybe it was just his nose – instead of eventually not noticing it anymore, he became acutely aware of it.  _Lucky me_. Opening his locker, he pulled out two clean pairs of BDUs. "Blue or green?" He asked himself, glad no one was around or they might think he'd finally gone mad after all his years in the service.  _Not blue_ , he told himself. It reminded him of Carter's eyes. He threw the blue pair back in his locker and made another mental note to get some clean BDUs in here. Too bad they didn't have black BDUs – Carter looked hot in black, especially when she was carrying her weapons too.

Thumping his head against the next locker, Jack tried to forget about how hot Carter was for a moment. It was hard because, God, he couldn't think of anything or any one time she  _didn't_  look hot to him. "Pathetic," he scolded himself again. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, his mind immediately conjured up the image of her in his dream this morning. He could practically smell that sweet scent of hers again, instead of the musty, sweat smell that was everywhere here. Mentally shaking himself, he quickly got dressed and pushed the memory of the dream to the back of his mind. No time for Jack and his foolish feelings, General O'Neill had work to do.

For a moment he considered going back up to the infirmary to ask Fraiser about those results he'd requested yesterday, but he knew she'd let him know as soon as she had them. No need to add to her workload already. It was time he and Hammond made it clear to the higher-ups that they needed more people in the infirmary  _and_  the labs. They had started out small eight years ago, but now instead of nine teams they had back then, they already had twenty-five off-world teams and more in training. It wouldn't be much longer until they had over thirty teams, he guessed. And they needed it; outer space was big.

Jack walked back to the stairs, his fingers drumming against his thigh as he proceeded through the corridors. The SFs all gave him a respectful nod, which he returned – thank God they weren't saluting him anymore. It had driven him crazy that whenever he'd walked by people would salute when he'd become general. They had never done that when he'd been a mere colonel, albeit the most senior as well as second-in-command of the base. He couldn't remember anyone saluting Hammond all the time, either. It was ridiculous; in their line of work formalities weren't that important. They were the first line of defense against alien attacks, for crying out loud! Who had time to salute?

"General O'Neill!"

Swiveling on his feet, he came face-to-face with Fraiser. "Doc."

"I just thought I'd let you know Colonel Barnes came to the infirmay-"

"What, why?" Jack barked, walking towards her.

"Sore throat, runny nose, congestion and sneezing," Janet summed up. "Probably a common cold, Sir," she replied patiently when he gave her a blank stare. "But I called down to the lab and they promised me they'd have the results by the end of the morning."

Frowning, he thought for a moment. "You're saying he has an alien cold?"

She smiled at that, shaking her head. "No Sir, from what he told me the symptoms started off-world and are at their peak now."

"That's supposed to reassure me?"

"A common cold takes about two to five days for symptoms to show, their peak starts two to three days after the onset of symptoms."

"Ah," he nodded. "So he didn't bring an alien virus to Earth, just an Earth virus to another planet where the people aren't exactly primitive but their medical care doesn't rival ours either."

Janet pursed her lips in thought. "Yes Sir, it looks that way. I will let you know as soon as I have the results; a common cold isn't considered dangerous for us on Earth, but the strains mutate quickly and we don't know the exact physiology of the aliens on P2X-913, Sir."

"Roger that," Jack replied, before turning back to the stairs. "Thanks Doc," he threw over his shoulder before going down three floors to check the control room, then go back to his office and wait for SG-1's departure.

* * *

Fumbling a bit with his gun, Daniel finally got it in its holster and looked up at his teammates in the gear room. "Come on, Sam. You could just ask Jack, I'm sure he'll listen to you."

"The General told me the planet could wait," she sighed, putting on her pack.

Grabbing his staff weapon, Teal'c inclined his head. "Indeed Daniel Jackson, the inhabitants of P2X-913 clearly stated the Goa'uld have not been there for quite some time. The most logical presumption is they will not return soon."

"He's doing this on purpose," he grumbled. "Just to bug me he sends us off to this uninhabited planet, while he knows I want to investigate the culture of P2x-913 and-"

"Daniel," Sam interrupted him. "I was the one who made the mission roster and I asked the General about the planet; he indicated we could go  _after_  we're done with this mission."

Making an impatient gesture with his hands, he finally bent down and grabbed his pack. "But I have to research several artifacts after this mission and process whatever we find on this planet. It will be days before we get to P2-"

"Colonel Carter and O'Neill are correct," Teal'c intoned with a raised eyebrow.

"Fine," Daniel huffed, still upset. "Did you guys hear about SG-6's CO?"

Walking out of the room and heading towards the gate room, Sam glanced over her shoulder. "What about Colonel Barnes?"

"Daniel Jackson, is it not impolite to spread unverified information about another person?"

"Janet told me," he defended himself. "He's got a cold."

Stopping in his tracks, Teal'c turned towards the young archeologist trailing behind him. "I do not understand the significance."

"It's possible he got his cold here, went to P2X-913 and infected the population!"

"Holy Hannah," Sam gasped. "That's horrible."

Daniel blushed and fumbled with his glasses. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so excited."

"I see," Teal'c uttered quietly. "What is Doctor Fraiser's next course of action?"

"She's still waiting for the lab results and there's a good chance another team has to be sent to the planet to warn the inhabitants of The Bright Plains – that's what the locals call their land," he informed them as they entered Section C.

Sam entered the gate room, nodding to the airmen present and the personnel – and the General – in the control room. "Wouldn't it be safer to send them a transmission?"

"Who knows," Daniel shrugged. "SG-6 has only had a brief introduction, we have no idea what their means of communication are. Just think, Sam! We could offer to go to that planet and-"

_"Focus on the mission you're about to embark upon, Space Monkey!"_

Looking up, he saw Jack smirk behind the window in the control room. "I am focused," he replied affronted.

* * *

"Ready, SG-1?" Jack asked through the PA, looking down on the gate room and his favorite team – family, really.

 _"Yes Sir!"_ Came Carter's reply, with a small grin.

He signaled Walter, who dialed up the planet. "Just because it  _looked_  uninhabited, Daniel, doesn't mean it  _is_ ," Jack gently reminded them. "Watch your six, SG-1," he added when the wormhole engaged.

"I'd love to watch her six all day."

Pivoting on his heel, Jack glared at the airman who'd made the comment. "Another one of those comments and I'll have  _your_  six thrown in the brig, Airman!" He barked, feeling enraged the little punk had spoken like that about  _his_  Carter.

"Yes Sir! I apologize, Sir! I didn't mean to sound disrespectful-"

"Really?" he growled. "Then how  _exactly_  did you mean it to sound?" Seeing the little punk had no reply to that, Jack narrowed his eyes at him and stepped closer. " _Colonel_  Carter has done more for this country – this  _planet_  – than you can imagine, Airman! Like all the other people working here, she should be treated with respect!"

"Yes Sir!"

Walter cleared his throat awkwardly. "Sir? Doctor Fraiser is on the phone for you, Sir."

Shaking his head, Jack tried to clear it. He hadn't even heard the phone ring. "Get out of my sight," he barked at the disrespectful airman, before turning back to Walter. "Give me that punk's name so I can have him transferred. I'll be in my office," he added, turning to the spiral staircase. Taking the steps two at once, he reached the briefing room quickly and strode into his office. Plopping down in his chair, Jack leaned over his desk and grabbed the phone to hear what the Doc had to say.


	5. Chapter 5

"… I don't care," Jack argued gruffly into the receiver, his fingers fiddling with the red cord. "Sir," he added belatedly, his mind kicking in as he realized who he was talking to.

" _Son, don't you think you're overreacting a bit?"_  Hammond's Texan drawl sounded through the receiver.

Glaring at the door as someone knocked – hadn't he instructed Walter not to disturb him? – he half-listened to what the General had to say, before the door opened. Walter peeked inside and Jack beckoned him over with his hand, still scowling.

"Sorry Sir, but Doctor Fraiser asked me to bring these to you immediately," Walter stammered nervously. General O'Neill had been impatient and gruff all day, blowing up at the airman who'd made a comment about Colonel Carter – which he agreed was totally inappropriate, but still – and demanding he found someone to clean the locker rooms properly and a lot more! It wasn't that the General was usually easy-going or anything, but even for him it was somewhat… odd. Walter quickly dropped the files on his desk before retreating to the control room, where he'd be safe.

"Dismissed," Jack grumbled as the man left, before returning his attention to Hammond. "Sorry Sir, Doc Fraiser sent Walter in here with some important files."

" _That's fine, son. Now, about the airman…"_

He rolled his eyes impatiently, again feeling his anger boil at the man's audacity and disrespectful attitude. "I want him gone, Sir."

" _I agree it was inappropriate, Jack, but-"_

"It was disrespectful," he growled, his fingers clenching the receiver in fury.

He could hear Hammond tapping his desk as he was contemplating the situation and it didn't take long for the three-star to reply. " _It was, but I can't kick him out of the program for that, son. You know as well as I do that you can place a reprimand in his personnel file and-"_

"Then I'll transfer him to McMurdo," Jack mumbled, still wishing he could kick the man out of the service or physically assault him.

" _Jack_ ," Hammond sighed,  _"Colonel Carter is a grown woman and an excellent officer. I'm sure with all her years in the service – and as an Air Force brat – she's heard worse."_

He huffed as he started laying out the files Walter had brought in. "That's not the point, Sir. It was disrespectful towards a superior officer  _and_  women in the service in general. He obviously doesn't have any respect for Carter as my," Jack scratched his neck and coughed, trying to come up with something appropriate instead of just saying she was  _his_  and no one else's. "My second-in-command," he nodded to himself, "and 2IC of this entire base, Sir. If he wants to serve in the Air Force he better get his act together and leave the sexist comments at home."

" _I am aware of that_ ," he sounded a bit offended at the implication he wouldn't know.  _"I have worked on that base for years, Jack and you've been among those men that entire time. You've never reacted this strongly before… are you sure you're alright, son?"_

"I will be once that asshole is gone," Jack replied. "I have no room for men like him under my command," he tried to justify himself. "Now, with all due respect, Sir, what about the medical personnel and the lab techs?"

" _You have the results from Colonel Barnes?"_

He nodded, flipping through the four files of SG-6. "Yes Sir, the techs have rushed it and the report says it appears to be a mutated cold virus. They all have it, Sir."

" _I see_ ," General Hammond let out a deep sigh.  _"Well, it's no surprise with the tight quarters and overnight missions that they've infected each other. Is it dangerous to the population on P2X-913?"_

"Inconclusive, Sir," Jack answered. "They're doing more tests, but so far it appears to be a common cold. No fever and cough, which would indicate influenza. But without a blood sample from the natives I don't think even Fraiser can predict what the effects of the virus will be for the people of the Bright Plains."

" _Great, just what we need…"_ he muttered softly.  _"I've spoken to the President and the JCS and they've given permission for more analysts and a dozen or so medical personnel. Your arguments about potentially infecting other planets with a seemingly harmless virus for us, seems to have convinced them, son."_

* * *

"Sam what's wrong?"

She cast an irritable glance at her friend and shrugged. "Just got an itch, Daniel," she replied as she scratched her neck.

"I know," he sighed, rolling his eyes, "you've been scratching at it all day. You're gonna break the skin if you keep it up," he tried to warn her. "But I was actually referring to you not eating your MRE…"

"Indeed, are you not in need of nourishment, Colonel Carter?"

"It smells disgusting," Sam grimaced and reached for her garbage bag to dispose of it.

Daniel frowned, his plastic spoon freezing midair. "Don't they always? Which one do you have? We could trade if you want," he offered, holding out his pack.

"It's chicken fajita," she replied, stuffing the pack in her garbage bag. "Never mind, Daniel. I'll just eat the crackers and the energy bar."

"Don't they all taste like chicken?"

Raising a brow, Teal'c swallowed his food before speaking. "Indeed, Colonel Carter is correct; that particular variation is most distasteful."

"None of them are particularly tasteful," Daniel commented, shrugging. "At least we're almost done here. Then I can catalogue my findings of these ruins and catalogue those artifacts still waiting for me in my office tomorrow."

Sam suddenly stood up and glanced around the darkening surroundings. "I'm going to check the perimeter, that smell is making me sick," she shuddered visibly, pointing towards their half-eaten MREs.

"We'll set up camp," Daniel offered. "Or should we sleep outside in our sleeping bags?"

"No," she shook her head. "Rain is coming, I can practically smell it," grabbing her P-90, she made her way to the perimeter. The plant life on this deserted planet smelled about as bad as her MRE, but it looked like this was the only sheltered surrounding suited for their camp. With all the foliage in this area their tents wouldn't draw anyone's attention, if there happened to be some natives or hostiles around they hadn't encountered yet. Next to the ruins, this was the only other available place and much closer to the gate. This way they would only have to cover the last few klicks in the morning before gating back to Earth. It would start to rain soon though, so they had to get in their tents. Hopefully that would also lessen the penetrating scent of the flowers around her…

* * *

Jack stormed into his office and plopped down on his chair. He was still feeling crappy like hell, ignoring the urge to beat the crap out of someone – preferably that airman who'd made the comment about Carter. Instead, he'd gone to the gym and worked out, but he still wasn't feeling much better. He'd just gotten back from the commissary and not even the chocolate vanilla cake had helped lift his spirit.

It was already past 2100 hours and he knew he should go home, but he was reluctant to do so. His house was empty and there was a lot of snow outside. It was still freezing and he was comfortable here. Besides, what if one of his teams ran into trouble? What if SG-1 – Carter – got into trouble and needed backup? Not that he didn't trust Carter, he did but SG-1 was the flagship team and he of all people knew they attracted trouble without any effort. And he was here, sitting behind his desk instead of watch her –  _their_  – six.

With a huff, he grabbed his silver laptop and booted it up. He still had some digital paperwork to do, after all. Might as well do it now, then send the airman packing even before Carter got back. With any luck, no one would mention the sexual comment to her with her being the base's 2IC. He punched in his ID and password with more force than necessary and leaned back, scowling at nothing in particular. In seconds, his computer was done and he accessed his files.

"Investigation has disclosed that you were disrespectful," Jack muttered as he filled in the forms and recited the incident. "I will not tolerate disrespect by anyone in this organization towards any of his superiors. I fully expect you will never repeat such conduct," he read aloud and once done with the reprimand, he added it to the airman's file. Opening a new form, he started reading again. "Investigation has disclosed that on," he checked the date and filled it out, "made a sexist comment." He nodded to himself, satisfied with his work. "Making sexist remarks, including sexist jokes is totally unacceptable. I will not tolerate this type of conduct." He declined to add a warning about harshest consequences, since the man would no longer be under his command after midnight.

With a small grin, Jack saved the changes and logged out. Perhaps it was time to go home and relax, before going to bed. Who knew, he'd hardly seen Carter all day, perhaps he could finally have a dreamless night. Or at least catch up on his sleep without having another erotic dream starring his 2IC.

* * *

 _Her pulse was racing as he touched her, came closer until their bodies were once more flush against each other. She could see the predatory gleam in his eyes as their breaths mingled and she shivered involuntary. In her desire to have him, she'd thrown caution to the wind and now they were alone… unexpectedly, she felt a boost of confidence as his fingers moved down her throat, over her pulse point. His proximity was intoxicating and the rough feel of his fingertips against her soft and smooth skin a delicious contrast. Moving her hips experimentally as his mouth latched onto her neck, she reveled in the feeling of him hard against her. It was obvious he wanted her and knowing that made her feel powerful and feminine. "Sir, I want you," she murmured, her head rolling back as his tongue traced patterns on her shoulder and one of his hands rested on her hips, ensuring she'd stay in pace while the other slowly slid down her collar bone._

"Sam," Daniel whispered, shaking her shoulder. He didn't want to make too much noise and wake Teal'c, but he'd already learned the Jaffa was a light sleeper a while ago. "Sam!" He hissed, shaking her more roughly.

"Huh," she blinked and rubbed her eyes. "Daniel?"

"Good dream?"

Blushing, Sam ducked her head and fumbled with the sleeping bag. Had she been talking in her sleep? "What, why?"

"Well, you were tossing and turning for a bit and I had to shake you hard before you woke," he explained, sitting down to pull off his boots. "I wasn't sure if I should wake you, but…"

"No, it's fine," she nodded and slipped out of the bag, reaching for her boots and gun. "I told you I'd take second watch."

Daniel crawled into his own sleeping bag, already rolled out in the tent, with all his clothes still on. "I made you coffee," he smiled at her, as he shook off his BDU jacket.

"Thank you," she returned his smile and, after lacing her boots opened the flap of the tent. "Goodnight guys," Sam whispered, knowing Teal'c was listening in on them, light sleeper that he was. It was cold outside and she quickly donned her thick, oversized BDU jacket.

She easily found the cup of coffee and sat down on a log. There was still some tarp draped over it, protecting Daniel – and now her – against the wet wood. It had poured a few hours ago, but luckily the rain had stopped and the skies had cleared before they went off to bed. While the planet seemed deserted, she didn't want to take a chance and since there were two moons out, had opted against lighting a fire. The camp was shielded by the trees, but surrounded by open fields. A fire would attract immediate – and unwanted – attention.

The skies were beautiful here, like on most planet where there was no light pollution. It reminded her of why she'd wanted to become an astronaut when she was a kid, visit the stars and unravel the mysteries of the universe. Well, she was kind of doing that now anyways. Only she got to go light years from where she'd ever expected to go with a regular spaceship. Just one step through the gate and she was on an alien world. Her life was strange…

Sipping from the coffee with her P90 resting in her lap, she contemplated her life and her recent decisions. She was engaged to be married to a wonderful man, who seemed to love her more than anything. Yet, here she was, alone on an alien planet just woken from a dream about her CO… it was disturbing how good the dream had felt, how good his hands on her had felt. How much she had wanted  _him_ , Jack O'Neill, while being engaged to Pete. This hadn't happened to her in a long time, dreaming about the General. Well, not this clearly and detailed. Once she'd gotten together with Pete her feelings for the General had diminished. Right?

"Or maybe you just pushed them away, Sammie," she told herself, staring into the cup. She'd actually thought she didn't have feelings for him anymore, at least not as strong as they used to be. Not that all-consuming need to be with him. After coming back from her isolated stay on  _Prometheus_ , she had made a decision and tried to forget about  _him._  She went out with several guys, even let her brother hook her up – and it had worked! Or so she thought. She loved Pete, right? Jack O'Neill had been her safe bet, so that she wouldn't get hurt because she could never really have him anyway. But if that was true, if that was how her subconscious worked, then why had it hurt  _all the time_? All those near-deaths, accidents, other lovers, it had hurt her deeply.

Then she'd met Pete and everything had changed. He took her out to dinner and dances, he wooed and tried to seduce her. It made her feel like a real women again, his object of desire. And it felt good to be wanted like that, she wasn't ashamed to admit that. She'd been without a lover, a partner for a long time and she'd almost forgotten how nice it was to have someone to spend time with. Someone to make love to, not just have sex with someone you fancied but had no real feelings for. Yet here she was, barely two months into her engagement and her CO was sneaking into her subconscious again…

* * *

After cleaning the sheets, Jack pulled off his clothes and grabbed a clean pair of boxers and a shirt. Quickly donning them, he slipped into the bed and turned off the light. It was late, it had taken him longer to finish up at the mountain and then he had to drive all the way home. His truck could easily handle the snowfall, but the roads had been slippery now that some of the snow was frozen on the asphalt. That and the other drivers – idiots, all of them – had forced him to drive much slower than usual and he'd already been exhausted when getting out of bed this morning!

With a sigh, he leaned back in the pillow and forced himself to calm down. Closing his eyes and focusing on his breathing, allowed him to relax enough so he could fall to sleep. It was a quality he'd needed in the service, especially when working in the field and you had to sleep when it was safe, not when it got dark. As usual, it didn't take long for his breathing to even out as his body relaxed into sleep.

 _Jack needed to have her. Claim her, mark her as his. It had been clear from the start that she belonged to him, everyone knew she was his – he just hadn't laid his claim yet. Maybe she was right; perhaps it was time to show the world to whom she belonged – ignore the rules and regulations, screw them, screw_ her _. He wouldn't let another man touch her; she was his woman and no one else's. Tightening the grip he had on her golden locks, he canted her head before slanting his mouth over hers._

 _She whimpered as his mouth roughly covered her own, his lips almost a bruising force against her sensitive ones. He nipped, pulled and even bit her bottom lip until she allowed him access with a soft moan. Their teeth clashed in his haste to claim her mouth, their tongues dueling for dominance. She seemed as unwilling as him to break their connection – admit defeat and surrender – both trying to breathe through their noses as their lips and tongues moved against each other. His breath came out in soft huffs and he growled against her lips as he pressed her further into the wall with the weight of his body. The hard planes of his body crushing her softer curves as he ground against her. She clung to him, her need for more contact obvious. They broke the kiss simultaneously, both panting with the need for air._

"Goddamn it," Jack exclaimed opening his eyes and recognizing his bedroom, he punched his pillow. He was still panting, the dream so realistic! He felt like he'd just ran a marathon, instead he'd been dreaming about making out with Samantha Carter. Normally, he wasn't that aggressive when he was with a woman and he briefly wondered if the pent up feelings he had for her were finally coming to the surface. Wondering if they –  _she_  – would make him lose control for the first time in his life. There was a dark side to him, there had to be in his line of work and he knew it had scared Sara and anyone else he'd met, so he'd always kept that side of him hidden, locked in the recesses of his mind. Pushing those thoughts away, he sat up.

Throwing back the comforter, he slipped out of bed. He'd been so worked up about all of this at the SGC all day, that it had come back to haunt him in his dreams – again. His pajamas were drenched in his sweat, as well as the cleaned sheets. "Great, just great," he muttered, pulling the sheets from the bed again. Throwing them in the hamper, his clothes quickly followed before he started the shower again. No more cold showers, he'd had enough. He was going to take care of this and then crawl back in bed and have a goodnight's sleep!

* * *

 _He brought his other hand up and pushed her back against the wall. His fingers kept thrusting inside of her, eliciting soft mews from her while his other hand swiftly pulled up her top._

 _Momentarily tangled with her arms in the tank top, she whimpered when he pushed his fingers back inside and threw the offending article on the floor. He kept probing her with those long digits as her muscles continued to tense around him. His palm pressing against her sensitive bundle of nerves making her release a low moan as her hips ground against him. "Sir," she moaned, biting her lip when his fingers slid out of her. Then they were back, thrusting, pulling and twisting. Her legs quivered as he continued the assault on her body. Stroking, pressing, retreating, and pushing until she whimpered. She felt her juices drip out of her, down her thighs as he continued to fuck her with his fingers._

"Oh God," Sam muttered as she woke to the sound of Teal'c's voice. Luckily for her, the guys were already outside. Obviously it was morning already, she had woken Teal'c in the early hours to change shifts and she'd gone back to sleep. Daniel had probably been lured by the smell or thought of coffee, since he was usually the last one to get up unless there was coffee. Thank god they weren't here, because she knew they only needed to take one look at her and know  _exactly_  what she was dreaming about.

Unlike with most of her dreams, she remembered seeing him there – the General – pressed up against her body. Her face was resting in the crook of his neck, her tongue darting out to taste his tanned skin. His fingers were inside of her, practically demanding that she'd give in and come right then and there. The thought alone made her press her legs together, making her acutely aware of her soaked panties. "Oh no," she groaned, covering her heated face with her hands. She was pretty sure she could smell herself as well. Could this get any worse? Now she had to go outside, face her teammates and then walk all the way back to the gate only to come face to face with  _him_. General John J. O'Neill. Object of her hidden desires, apparently. As well as her superior, her commanding officer, the base commander…

Reaching into her pack, Sam grabbed a clean set of underwear and checked the tent flap. Opening it, she waved her free hand and caught Teal'c's attention. "Good morning, I'll be right out," she told them. After receiving his customary nod, she closed the flap and quickly changed her clothes.


	6. Chapter 6

Stopping in front of the door, Jack silently wondered how he got here. He honestly couldn't remember walking here. With a shrug, he swiped his access card and waited for the door to slide open. Walking into the darkened lab, he inhaled deeply. The smell was familiar, something he'd always associate with Carter. Flipping the light switch he walked towards her workbench, his eyes taking in the neatly organized piles of paperwork in the corner of her desk and the work tools on the bench.

Carter – and the rest of SG-1 – was scheduled to return in a few hours and he'd gone down to the infirmary to talk to Fraiser. They had discussed the new positions for her staff and the lab techs. He'd also checked on some of his injured people, luckily it seemed everyone was going to be fine, although there had been a few people complaining about headaches and colds. Suddenly, he found himself here, in front of Carter's lab while he was supposed to go back to his office and finish up on some paperwork before SG-1 would return and debrief.

He hadn't been consciously thinking about it, but apparently he'd been drawn here and his body had walked here automatically. It had been a while since he'd last been here, while he used to drop by all the time. Just to chitchat or watch her work, simply enjoy spending time with her. But the last time he'd dropped by, she'd dropped her own little bombshell on him by showing him that  _engagement ring_. That gaudy little thing the smarmy cop had gotten her. Plopping down on her chair, his hand found the drawer and opened it. There it was, the little ring box.

Apparently, his 2IC still kept it in her lab when she went offworld. For some reason, he'd expected her to keep it in her locker. Well, considering she was amongst those with the highest clearing here at the base and only those ranked above her – him, Reynolds, Dixons, Barnes, Edwards and Fraiser as the CMO – could get access to her lab, it probably wasn't such a strange place.

With a huff, he flicked it open and stared at the ring. It might belong to Carter, but it definitely wasn't  _Carter_. The cop obviously didn't know her the way he did; he himself would never have picked something like this for someone like Carter. She was a genius, gorgeous, unique, a national treasure… she deserved more than some run of the mill ring you would give the girl next door when proposing. No wonder he never saw it on Carter's finger, she probably hated it. No, he would've made sure the ring he'd give her was as unique as Carter herself.

Jack groaned, again wondering why he was doing this to himself and placed the box back in the drawer. His hands immediately found something to fiddle with as he simply sat there, listening to the soft hum of the operational equipment. It was quieter than he remembered, then again, he usually only visited when Carter was present running some experiment. Now, she'd only left the necessary equipment turned on. Still, it had a calming effect on him; being here, in her sanctuary surrounded by her stuff.

His eye caught sight of a folder that  _didn't_  have the classified stamp on it. With a frown, he reached out and grabbed, thinking it was somewhat familiar. Opening it, he cursed himself, Carter and the whole goddamned universe when he recognized its content; wedding stuff. Great, now she was carrying that stuff around here. What had happened to the professional Carter who didn't mix business and pleasure? Who left her personal stuff at home when going to work and vice versa? Of course, considering that nosy fiancé of hers had already stalked her to a mission and run a background check on her, the line between personal and professional was probably a bit blurred. Besides, when he'd told her to get a life all those years ago he'd meant it because she didn't appear to  _have_  one, so there wasn't anything to draw a line between… His fingers ran over the papers, her planner and he smiled despite the situation when he noticed all the colored labels.

Hearing the tread of boots in the corridor, he realized he'd been sitting here for a while. Closing the folder, he got up and walked towards the door. Before opening it, he flicked the light switch again. Waiting for the fluorescent lighting to stop flickering, Jack nodded as the room bathed in darkness again, the only illumination the eerie glow from the equipment.

* * *

"Dial it up, Daniel," Sam yelled, trying to make herself audible over the howling wind and pouring rain. Keeping her eyes on the surroundings, she thought she could hear the telltale signs of a dialing gate and automatically punched in their IDC on the GDO, aiming the wrist device at the gate as soon as she heard the kawoosh.

Shielding his glasses and eyes with one hand, Daniel peered at Sam. The gate had been activated and she'd sent their IDC through, but he couldn't hear anything over the radio with the small storm around them. "Sam?" He shouted, pointing at his radio and holding up his hands.

Teal'c stood impassively next to the steps leading up the stargate, watching the interaction between his two Tau'ri friends. Colonel Carter, their team commander had suggested they remain at their camp to wait out the upcoming storm. Of course, Daniel Jackson did not believe the storm would approach within the next hour and had requested they set out as planned. He did not care much for rain and he most certainly did not enjoy traveling through it by foot without any protection against the harsh elements. Yet, he remained silent and waited for the signal to proceed through the gate.

In the end, it appeared Colonel Carter's own growing agitation was what made her decide to proceed. He was uncertain what the cause for Colonel Carter's agitation was, yet he could understand the decision she had made. Daniel Jackson could become particularly bothersome if there was nothing present to hold his attention. Luckily for them, this did not happen often as the young Tau'ri was often fascinated by any trace of alien life, no matter how minute. Yet, when it did happen, he could most certainly rival O'Neill in his behavior when bored.

Straining her ears, Sam focused on the radio as the rain came down hard. "Okay," she nodded at the guys, "we have a go," she motioned towards the open wormhole. Still keeping an eye out, she walked to the gate, watching Daniel's six as he jumped through. Reaching the stone steps, she glanced over her shoulder and, seeing Teal'c nod minutely to indicate he had her back, she took two steps at once. "Let's go home."

"Indeed," he intoned, not lowering his staff weapon and stepping backwards through the stargate.

* * *

"Sir," Sam nearly gasped as she laid eyes on him. She hadn't expected him to wait for them in the gate room, her eyes automatically focused on the high window of the control room. Roaming his face with her eyes, she was amazed to realize he looked even more handsome here than he had in her dreams – both of them. He was simply standing there oh so casual, in his BDUs with his general star on the collar and his silvery hair all mussed despite it only being early morning.

He smirked slowly, taking in her soaked form. Although the jacket was large enough to hide her feminine form, the straps from the heavy pack on her back pulled it around her body, showing some of her curves. The wet material was practically clinging to her and she smelled like fresh rain and… trees. He liked it, he decided. "Carter."

"Ma'am?"

She nodded sheepishly, her hands hanging uselessly by her sides when one of the SFs approached her. Her wet clothes were uncomfortable but the General was looking so… good, she had trouble tearing her eyes away from him. Despite his initial protests, he practically exuded the power one would expect from a strong leader in his position – if not more. She found it very attractive, especially in combination with that sexy smirk of his.

"Here," Daniel handed his weapons to the SFs standing by as the gate disconnected. Frowning, he looked between his two friends, who looked like they were in a staring contest. Granted, they didn't look their best after that little tropical storm but surely Jack had seen them in worse condition? "Sam," he elbowed her in the side as the SF was patiently waiting for her P90 and handguns.

"Huh?" Sam mumbled ineloquently, shaking her head. "Oh!" Blushing, she unstrapped her weapons and handed them over, mumbling an apology.

Brought out of his trance, Jack chuckled lowly, which – he noticed – caused her blush to deepen. "So," he started, not taking his eyes off his lovely second-in-command. "How was the weather on P4…?"

"Funny Jack," Daniel huffed, combing his wet hair back with one hand and fumbling around in his pockets for a dry cloth to wipe his glasses clean. "There was nothing of interest on the planet."

"Indeed," Teal'c echoed, raising his brow as he felt the water drip down his skull.

"Nothing you say?" Jack asked, slightly incredulous. "No natives, exciting rocks, trees…?"

Rolling his eyes, Daniel shrugged off his pack and unzipped his wet jacket. "Well, there were some ruins but it was clear the planet had been abandoned a long time ago…"

"No notes?"

"Of course I made notes," he replied, somewhat dismayed by the suggestion.

Jack nodded and moved towards the blast doors, heading for the gear room. "So… not nothing?" he was slightly disappointed by that, although he should have known there wouldn't be nothing.

"Indeed," Teal'c inclined his head as he handed one of the airmen his staff weapon. "Our survey confirmed our initial assessment."

Sam dutifully followed the General out of the gate room, letting Daniel and Teal'c do all the talking as her mind was assaulted by flashes from her earlier dreams. She gnawed her lip and clenched her fists to prevent herself from reaching out and touching the General's tanned neck, or run her fingers through his soft hair. The ridiculous urges made her frown at herself, what was she thinking? What was wrong with her? He was just a man, her  _CO_  for crying out loud, nothing special…  _yeah right, Samantha_ , she told herself with a deep sigh.

"Jack, can we go and get out of these wet clothes?" Daniel whined as he dropped off his stuff and gestured towards his outfit.

"Yeah sure you betcha," he grinned slowly, his mind immediately conjuring up images of Carter… undressing. Her face was still flushed and he wondered how far it went as her jacket hid most of it. The pelting rain had obviously cooled her down quite a bit as her hands slowly started to turn red with the warmer temperatures on base. How he would love to help her warm up… "For crying out loud," he muttered to himself, rubbing his eyes in frustration.

"Sir?"

Startled, Jack looked up to find Daniel and Teal'c gone and Carter still there. "Shouldn't you…," he gestured with his hand towards the elevator. Standing so close to her in the small room, he became even more aware of her presence. He took a deep breath, trying to control himself as she looked up at him with huge blue eyes, but only succeeded in inhaling her unique scent. Tearing his eyes away from hers, he couldn't help but notice the small imprint of her teeth left on her pinked bottom lip, from her pensive gnawing.

Sam's heart started pounding as she noticed his lingering gaze on her lips, and unconsciously darted out her tongue to wet them as her mouth turned dry under his scrutiny. She hadn't even noticed Daniel and Teal'c leaving already, her eyes and thoughts completely focused on the strong and handsome male in front of her. Her breath caught when he lifted his hand, reaching for her face and stepped closer.

Jack was completely mesmerized by her, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. His eyes still resting on her lips, he felt the need to touch them, taste them with his own tongue. Hearing her soft gasp, he suddenly realized where he was and what he was doing – and more importantly, with  _whom_. His hand diverted from its course and instead brushed away some of the blond locks plastered to her face. "You're wet," he mumbled as his fingers combed through her locks. "Soaked."

Mortified, she stared at him. "Wha– Sir," she stammered, trying to…  _what, tell him you can't help it because he's so hot_? Ignoring the little voice in the back of her mind, Sam shook her head.

"You should get out of these wet clothes," Jack continued, letting his hand drop back to his side as he tried to ignore the images and feelings his own words evoked in him. "Debriefing in an hour, Colonel."

"Yes Sir," Sam nodded slowly, relieved when she realized what he meant. Her mind had been elsewhere, her wet clothes completely forgotten. Turning, she gave him a last smile and walked out of the gear room, heading for the elevators to get changed.

* * *

"Well, he  _is_  Jack," Daniel argued, shrugging as he sipped his coffee.

Raising a brow, Teal'c regarded him from across the briefing room table. "O'Neill is most punctual when it concerns mission debriefings."

"Then where is he?"

"I do not know," he admitted.

Daniel nodded. "See," he exclaimed, trying to make his point. After all, it was Jack who'd set the time for the debrief and now  _he_  wasn't here. "I'm just saying if I had known he was going to be late, I could have taken a longer shower."

"Did you not already spend twice the maximum time under the plumbing fixture when I left the locker room?" Teal'c inquired with a small grin.

"Well yeah," he smiled impishly. "But I was cold to the bone from all the rain!"

Folding his hands in front of him, Teal'c raised his brow again. "I believe we all spent the same amount of time under the same weather conditions. As a matter of fact, it was you, Daniel Jackson who left the shelter last and went through the stargate first. Therefore, Colonel Carter and myself would have been exposed to the torrent of the rain for a longer period of time."

"But you were both trained for it," Daniel petulantly stated. "You had your Jaffa warrior training and Sam was in the military, I on the other hand spent most of my time in museums and libraries."

"That does not change the amount of time we spent in the rain."

Scowling, he cradled his cup before taking the last sip. "Sam? What about you?" Frowning, Daniel moved his hand in front of her face. "Hello, Earth to Sam Carter."

"What?" She mumbled absentmindedly. "I was just thinking."

"We were wondering where Jack was and why he's late." He explained. "Didn't you see him last?"

Looking up, Sam nodded slowly. "Yes, but I have no idea where the General is now… I just left for the locker rooms to get showered, I think he went back to his office."

"We shall remain here and await O'Neill's return."

"I could have taken a longer shower, you know," Daniel repeated, trying to get Sam to agree with him. Although he wasn't sure she would, considering the short military showers she usually took.

Tilting his head, Teal'c regarded the two Tau'ri. "Perhaps you should have heeded Colonel Carter's warning about the coming storm."

"Oh," he frowned, pursing his lips together as he turned slightly towards her. "It's not that I didn't believe you, Sam, or questioned your leadership… it's just that I didn't think the storm could approach so quickly. It's not like we had a lot of meteorological data to go on, so I just thought we could make it to the gate."

"I know, it's okay, Daniel," she smiled patiently. "I thought we could make it too."

"What's this, Carter can predict alien weather now too?" Jack joked as he strolled into the briefing room. "I didn't know you had a doohickey that can do that!" He added, slightly indignant as he thought of all the times he could have used that when he was still in the field.

Sam smiled brightly when he walked past her and plopped down in his chair. "I don't, Sir… it's just that my hair curls up a bit and gets frizzy when the air is humid. There were trees there similar to maple trees and when the humidity is high, the leaves from these trees curl up too and that usually precedes a heavy rain. Teal'c said the early sky opposite the sunrise was red, which usually indicates a high pressure system with dry air. Not to mention the compost-like smell, which comes from the plants depositing their wa-"

"Ack!" Jack exclaimed, raising a finger. "I believe you, and now Daniel will too in the future. Won't you, Space Monkey?"

Daniel nodded fervently, his glasses sliding down his nose with the movement. "Sorry Sam," he apologized, pushing them up again.

"Sorry I was late," Jack started, once everyone was settled and looking at him. "There was a slight altercation between two of my men, and one ended up with a broken jaw and some busted ribs so Fraiser called me down to the infirmary," he grimaced. "But it's all taken care of for the moment. Why don't you begin, Daniel?" Jack leaned back as the archeologist nodded and dimmed the lights as he started his presentation. His eyes automatically sought out Carter's shape in the darkened room. Since Daniel himself had already said there was nothing on that planet, Jack didn't deem it important to listen to his debriefing and instead used the time to watch his 2IC. He'd been Carter-deprived for a full day, after all.

From her position at the table, Sam could easily watch the General from the corner of her eye. She wondered why she was suddenly so obsessed with him, still trying to figure out the hidden meaning of her dreams and her jumbled feelings. All she could think of these past few hours was him, Pete had hardly crossed her mind – certainly not since waking up this morning. She heard Daniel go on and on about the ruins he'd examined, probably intent on making the General suffer with an extra long presentation for not letting him go to P2X-913. Ignoring her friend, her eyes focused on the General's hands, which were fiddling with his pen, as usual.

Her cheeks heated up when she remembered what those long fingers of his had been doing to her in her dream. Like most women, she enjoyed sex as well as good foreplay. But the way he'd used his nimble fingers,  _God_ … that could only be classed as fucking, it definitely wasn't the usual foreplay she was used to. And despite his sometimes rough movements, she had enjoyed it immensely. As a matter of fact, she couldn't recall anyone ever doing something like that to her, be it with his fingers or otherwise. It had felt  _so_  good, and he certainly knew what he was doing. Driving her insane with pleasure, mostly.

Jack canted his head, his eyes trailing down Carter's long,  _long_  legs to her booted feet. He frowned, images of his dreams coming back to him. She'd been barefoot in them, with… glossy nails? Scratching his neck, he wondered what that was all about. He'd never really given it much thought, but now he was wondering whether she used nail polish. Not on her hands, he'd already checked but on her toenails perhaps? For some reason, he liked the idea. He tried to think about all the times he'd seen Carter barefoot, but he couldn't really recall anything other than those images. Which wasn't too strange, considering he was usually trying  _not_  to look at her or snuck glances at other parts of her. Now he was wondering if it was something his mind had conjured up or if it was real. Well, it couldn't be real considering it hadn't happened, but still… it was odd. Maybe he should ask Daniel or Teal'c about it. And was her second toe really bigger than her big toe? He'd never given her feet any thought and now he wished he had.

"Jack, Sam?" Daniel called out, his tone impatient. He'd decided to torture Jack with as much boring information as he could find, but it hadn't been his intention to make him brain dead… "Hello?" Glancing between them, he wondered why they were both staring at each other. And not just staring, but  _really_ staring. Had he missed something? Sam was still engaged to Pete, right? "Hey, you guys?"

"O'Neill, Colonel Carter," Teal'c intoned, his voice booming in the room. "Are you not well?"

"Huh?" Jack blinked a few times, shocked to see Carter staring right back at him. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, tearing his eyes away from her heated gaze as he shifted in his seat. "So, nothing important on that planet? Alright, good job, SG-1."

Stunned, Daniel raised his brows. "Wait! That's it? What about Sam's presentation?"

"You already said there was nothing out there," he replied, shrugging. "I can read Carter and Teal'c's version of events in their mission reports."

"What, then why did I have to-"

Jack smirked, rubbing his hands together. "Rules, Danny-boy! Every mission requires a debriefing. I'm sure that Teal'c, with all his experience as a warrior and Carter as 2IC of this base can distinguish between what's important and what isn't. Their reports will suffice. Dismissed."

Sam swallowed hard and slowly rose to a standing position at the General's dismissal. For some reason, she felt reluctant to leave but she also knew she couldn't stay. Her emotions were out of control and she'd just been caught blatantly staring at the man with only one thing on her mind… "Yes Sir," she croaked, coughing slightly.


	7. Chapter 7

Quickly downing a glass of water in her office, Janet took a short break from the hectic infirmary. She loved her job, she really did but not when her infirmary was undermanned. As CMO of the base she was responsible for all the patients and she was reluctant to leave them in the care of her staff. The nurses were already close to being at the end of their tether and Doctor Carmichael had the flu. Only Doctors Warner and Brightman were available but the first was a surgeon and at the moment the only one, while the latter was doing the nightshifts. Of course, Dr. Mackenzie was available, but his specialty was psychiatry although he had done four years of med school and was an M.D. In the beginning of the program, he'd been involved as an M.D. as well – he had done the initial exam of the Jaffa coming through the gate – but then Dr. Warner and herself had taken over the infirmary so he could remain as the base's psychiatrist.

She startled from her thoughts when the phone on her desk rang. Frowning, she reached for the receiver and picked it up. "Fraiser."

" _General Hammond."_

"General, Sir," Janet immediately straightened at hearing her former-commanding officer's voice. He was a great officer and had done an outstanding job commanding the SGC, especially considering no one really had any experience with their line of work. He'd been promoted to three-star a couple of months ago and was now commanding the newly-founded Homeworld Security in Washington DC. It overlooked all off-world related matters, like the SGC, Area 51 and Atlantis. Since then, she hadn't heard much from him directly, only through their new commander.

Luckily for everyone here at the SGC, that was Jack O'Neill. The former colonel had been promoted to brigadier general and had taken command of the base. Everyone she knew had let out a sigh of relief hearing that news, after the experience they had with other commanders – General Bauer for example – when General Hammond had been… unavailable.

She really liked both commanders, although they could be quite different from each other. "How may I help you, Sir?"

" _Well, Doctor, I've already spoken to Jack and the President about your lack of personnel, but since you are so busy and the health of your patients comes first, I haven't received your report yet."_

Knowing General Hammond, Janet knew he meant every word of it and wasn't trying to scold her for not yet submitting her reports to HWS. "Yes Sir-"

" _All we can expect is for you to work with what you have and paperwork won't be the highest on your priority list when lives are in danger. I know you're doing an outstanding job managing the infirmary with little personnel, Doctor."_

She smiled slightly at the compliment in his familiar Texan drawl. "I have updated the charts and everyone's medical file, Sir, but my report for General O'Neill and HWS isn't complete yet. I know it should have been submitted earlier in the week, but even though most of my patients are stable, there seems to be a cold outbreak. My staff is doing the best they can, Sir but with the extra hands in the lab it also means we have a lot of updating to do because of the backlog."

Janet tried to explain the situation as best she could. Thanks to some of the scientists stepping in to help out the analysts, most of the backlog had been cleared, which meant her and her people had gotten a lot of results back and had to update all the medical charts. Not to mention the personnel files. She was glad Cassandra was away with friends now that it was Spring break for them, considering how busy she herself was here in the mountain; she hadn't left in days, trying to catch up on her paperwork during slow evenings.

" _I am aware of that, Doctor. Jack told me all about it, which is why we were able to convince the higher-ups that the SGC infirmary_ needs  _a bigger staff. Overworked and stressed out nurses and doctors is not something we need for the first line of defense against alien hostiles. If you and your people have to continue working like this, it won't be long until you're all burned out and alien diseases will have free reign on Earth!"_ General Hammond chuckled, but it was still a serious issue that needed to be addressed – or better yet, solved.

"Let's hope it won't come to that, Sir," Janet replied as she sat down on her chair. Obviously her short break was going to take a bit longer now that she had General Hammond on the phone. "All I can tell you at the moment is that most of the backlog is cleared, that a cold virus seems to be going around – which isn't too strange in these close quarters – and that at the moment most of my patients are stable, Sir."

" _That's good to know, Doctor. What about the two men involved in an altercation earlier today?"_

She frowned before remembering the two patients. It had only been a few hours ago and it made her wonder if perhaps Chief Master Sergeant Harriman was still keeping their former commander up to date. She remembered that General O'Neill had handled the situation before rushing off to a debriefing, so she doubted he'd already updated his CO. Or perhaps she wasn't the first person General Hammond had called… after all, he was  _the_  three-star general commanding HWS  _and_  the former commander of this base. She couldn't think of more than handful of people who'd probably have higher security clearance. "You mean Lieutenant Woeste and Major Johnson, Sir?"

" _Possibly, all I heard was that it was between a flyboy and a jarhead."_ The man chuckled and Janet could practically picture him sitting behind his desk.

Never in a million years had she expected General Hammond to use slang. Then again, if he was simply repeating what he'd heard through the grapevine… "Yes Sir, it looked like a training session that had gotten out of control. Lieutenant Woeste ended up with a broken jaw and some busted ribs, while Major Johnson had some raw knuckles."

She heard him mutter something under his breath, which sounded suspiciously like cursing the sometimes hostile relationship between the two branches of their military before he spoke up again.  _"A training session you said, Doctor?"_

"That's what Major Johnson told me, Sir," Janet confirmed, her brows knitted together. If she was honest, she thought it looked a lot more serious than that but General O'Neill had told her he'd take care of it and she trusted him to do so. No need to cause more trouble for the two men, who both already had a reputation for being something of a hothead.

" _I see_ ," was General Hammond's soft reply.  _"Anything else, Doctor?"_

"Like what, Sir?" She asked cautiously, growing slightly suspicious of this unexpected phone call.

" _Anything out of the ordinary?"_ He questioned.  _"I spoke to Jack earlier and he sounded a bit agitated and irritable. Frankly, I felt he was overreacting somewhat to a certain situation and now this incident…"_

She could tell by his tone of voice that he sort of confiding in her, because it wasn't like General Hammond to go behind someone's – in this case General O'Neill's – back. "Sir?"

He let out a deep sigh.  _"I just like to keep an eye on my people, Doctor. I'm sure you can understand and with everything going on, I just want to make sure that nothing is wrong. Perhaps I'm the one overreacting,"_  he chuckled in a low tone. " _Now that I'm miles away, I have to rely on the grapevine and what the reports on my desk are telling me. It's just with the work you deal with, you can never be sure."_

"I understand, Sir," Janet nodded to herself. "I'm sure it's nothing, just the pressure of these last few days with the overflowing infirmary, this cold bug going around, the lab's backlog and not to mention the formation of the new teams."

" _Yes, the formation of the new off-world teams is behind on schedule, meaning the existing teams have to do more work. That in turn means you and your staff need to do more work, Doctor."_

"Yes Sir," she acknowledged as she leaned back in her chair. "Once the mission roster is a bit slower, I'm sure everything will go back to normal. In the meantime I will keep an eye out, Sir."

" _Please do, Doctor. I trust Jack – otherwise I wouldn't have recommended his promotion – but I don't want him, or any of my people for that matter, to let the pressure get to them and burn out."_

"Of course, Sir, I understand," Janet reassured him.

" _I trust you, Janet; you're one of the finest CMOs and officers I've had the pleasure to work with. Please keep an eye out for my people, while I continue setting up this new command. Hopefully, all of our jobs will get easier once HWS is running smoothly and you have your new personnel."_

She was surprised by his familiar tone, as she couldn't remember him using her first name. Not to mention the compliment he'd just given her – the second one in their conversation. "Thank you, Sir and I hope the same. Now, don't you work too hard, General, you have to think of your heart."

" _Yes Doctor,"_ he chuckled and she could imagine him shaking his head with a grin.  _"The same goes for you; I don't want my people to lose their fine CMO."_

"Yes Sir," Janet replied with a smile. She really did miss that man, as he reminded her of her Southern roots and had always treated everyone – man, woman, civilian, soldier, human or alien – with respect.

" _Well, it's time for my appointment with the President and the JCS. Take care, Doctor."_

"You too, Sir," she countered, before their connection was severed. Placing the receiver back in its place, Janet sorted the papers on her desk with a small frown creasing her forehead. She would talk to General O'Neill tonight – if he was still at the mountain – after doing some paperwork and making her rounds in the infirmary. Doctor Brightman was doing the nightshifts, so she would be here soon as well and maybe, just maybe that meant she could go home for the night and sleep in her own bed. Lord knew her house was probably a mess by now…

* * *

Jack twiddled his thumbs as he was watching one of the geeks do his presentation. He wasn't really listening because he was simply not interested. He knew most people looked forward to the end of the week, Friday the last day before the weekend started. But he didn't and not just because he was usually still at the base in the weekend, since alien allies and foes had different schedules. No, it was because late Friday afternoon the geeks had their weekly meeting – in his briefing room, since it was highly classified and the negotiation room on level seventeen wouldn't suffice. With all the yapping next to his office he couldn't get any work done, not to mention the silly gestures those geeks made while trying to make a point or doing a presentation. It was distracting as he could see it from behind his desk, through the glass window.

He usually tried to get away at this hour or at least be somewhere else on base, but today he'd had no such luck. With Carter being the head of the Science Department  _and_ the base's second-in-command, he usually let her do her thing with the geeks so he could get out of it. Luckily for him, Hammond had never expected him to attend the weekly meetings while he himself had been 2IC of the base but that was probably as much for his own sake as that of the scientists. Carter actually enjoyed these meetings, hearing about everyone's progress and doohickeys… so he could kill two birds with one stone; spare himself the torture of a geek convention and make Carter happy, albeit in a professional way. Actually, he could probably kill more than two birds considering everyone else's feelings and frustrations whenever he was forced to listen to technobabble – especially if it wasn't coming from Carter.

Today, however, Jack had decided to actually attend the meeting. He hadn't been comfortable with the wandering and roaming eyes from all the male geeks when Carter had started her presentation. Obviously they weren't solely interested in what she had to  _say_. Since he couldn't get any work done, he'd decided to sit in on their little meeting to keep an eye on those geeks while his Carter was doing her thing. Only just now he'd thrown daggers with his eyes at Felger as the geek had been staring at Carter. He'd love to physically hurt him, but knew that would be frowned upon.

He smirked and leaned back in his chair as geek number one was done with his presentation and Carter took over. He'd never tire of hearing her voice or simply watching her. It wasn't like anyone could reprimand him for looking at her as she  _was_  the one giving the presentation – not to mention that  _he_  was now the base commander. But still, the regs were firmly in place so he had to behave. And she was still engaged to that lousy cop. Jack snorted at nothing in particular and scowled at the table. He heard her pause for a moment and as he glanced up, she canted her head and a blush colored her cheeks adorably. He shrugged and she resumed her presentation, probably assuming it didn't concern her.

Well, technically it did. Almost everything in his life concerned her. With a sigh, he glanced back at the table, tracing invisible patterns on it with his fingers as he studied the scuffmarks on the surface. Someone should probably fix those. With all the glasses, mugs and files constantly moving over it, it was no wonder the table looked like it was used frequently – which it was. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Felger gaping at Carter again and glared at the sorry excuse for a man until he caught his attention and sent him a warning through his eyes. Felger immediately cowered back in his chair and Jack took this as an opportunity to warn the other geeks as well. Some of them were almost drooling while there was one who was practically undressing Carter with his eyes. Fumbling with the wrapping of someone's sugar packet, he effectively threw it at the civilian and made it clear his straying eyes were  _not_  supposed to be focusing on Carter in  _that_  way – all without her noticing.

Not that he could blame them, really. After all, he often found himself thinking of Carter. But it wasn't their place to think of her like that. Jack smiled lazily as he leaned back in his chair. Oh yeah, he definitely thought of Carter too much. His eyes roamed her face while she continued on with her little presentation about some doohickey, watching those sweet lips of her move and her blue orbs shining with excitement. He clearly remembered the first time he'd laid eyes on her and how he'd been struck with desire to  _have_ her.

It hadn't just been that she was hot, which, granted, she was, especially with those dress blues on. No, it was a combination of her cool exterior, cocksure attitude, hotness and those sparkling blue eyes and sharp tongue. How she strode into the briefing room, obviously determined to prove her worth, show that she was just as good as any guy. Then, when he'd addressed her she'd looked up to with that dreamy expression on her face talking about memorizing his report and how she'd been preparing for this her whole life or something. He'd been mesmerized by those huge blue eyes and her case of hero-worshipping had made him smirk.

He hadn't been able to stop himself from picturing her without her dress blues when Ferretti mentioned being naked and then she'd started summing up qualifications and her equality speech, about being just as good as a man… well, she'd lost him when she mentioned reproductive organs, then his head had really started spinning. He'd been forced to sit down to keep himself in check, because he'd been _so_  tempted to lunge forward, pull her off her soapbox and shake that chip off her shoulder as he dragged her over the table to show her just how much he  _liked_  women. It would have been an excellent way to shut her up and get rid of her hero-worshipping.

Once they'd gotten safely back from Abydos, he'd had the hottest dreams about that first meeting. It was awkward considering Hammond had assigned her as his second-in-command  _and_  because he was supposed to think of Skaara and Sha're, not his hot 2IC who was sixteen years his junior and officially off-limits. Still, every time he saw her in her dress blues, the images flashed through his head again. Thinking of how he wanted to throw her on the table, rip open her jacket and blouse with one hand, while his other pulled up her skirt… tearing off her panties and bra before simply taking her, fast and hard.

Jack squirmed in his chair and tried to get comfortable without drawing anyone's attention. God, every time that scenario popped into his head he wondered if she'd call him 'Sir' as he thrust into her, over and over again or if she'd realize the image of him she'd created in her mind while memorizing his report was about as wrong as it could be… if the hero-worshipping would disappear as fast as her underwear as he'd lean over her, claiming her mouth as he had done the rest of her body with his medals pressing in the soft flesh of her breasts. If she'd try to stop him or welcome him into her body as her breasts bounced with every thrust inside her. If her image of him would shatter the way he knew she would, as his fingers found her clit and made her come…

"Sir?"

He coughed awkwardly, trying to clear his throat – and dirty mind – as he looked up to see her eyes on him. She still had that cute little blush and he wondered if she knew what he'd been thinking… "Carter?"

Sam smiled nervously under his intense scrutiny, her heart pounding as he gazed at her with those dark eyes. "I-I was just, ah… wondering if you wanted to add something or if we were done," she stammered. It felt as if his eyes were searing through her, making her blood boil as it coursed through her veins.

"No, we're done," Jack mumbled, waving his hands at the geeks to indicate they should leave.

Fiddling with the pointer she'd used, Sam gnawed her lip as she regarded the handsome general. "You're not coming, Sir?"

"No," he croaked, even though he was very close just  _thinking_  about her. "You should go, Carter. Go… pick flowers or something," he added awkwardly.

"Sir?"

"For the wedding," he groaned, sorting the papers in front of him. He hadn't actually used them but they helped to create the illusion he was paying some attention.

Ducking her head, Sam grimaced. "I still have to finish up in my lab, Sir. I won't be going home for a few hours…"

"Fine, whatever." He refused to look at her, the dimmed lighting for the presentations only adding to the intimacy. It seemed to increase the pull she had on him and he refused to give in. "Just go… I have important… stuff, to do. General-stuff."

"Yes Sir," she frowned and quickly collected her things, before leaving him in the briefing room to check on her lab.

As soon as she was gone, Jack let out a deep sigh and leaned his head back. He needed to get himself under control. Like it wasn't bad enough she seemed to haunt him in his dreams, now she was taking in his daytime as well! It was pathetic,  _he_  was pathetic. He groaned and stuffed the papers in the folder before getting up from his seated position. Grabbing his glass of water, the scuff marks once more grabbed his attention. He silently wondered if  _they_  would have left scuffmarks if he'd just done what he wanted instead of using his self-control and do what the regulations – and common sense – required.


	8. Chapter 8

Jack was already silently berating himself when he heard the doors of the elevator close behind him. He shouldn't be here, he should either go home or do some more paperwork. He clenched his fists and grimaced; nothing of importance had happened this week. Nothing relating to Carter and himself, other than his subconscious haunting him with those dreams. She was still engaged and he was still her CO, the fraternization regulations still existed and applied to their situation. There was no going around that. Not to mention that Carter obviously fell for someone else, that schmuck she was engaged to. Obviously her feelings had changed, if she had ever loved him at all, Jack thought grimly.

That last thought gave him the strength to resist the pull she had on him, and he quickly turned right heading for the stairs as he knew the elevator with the airman inside he had just exited was going topside. He wasn't sure he could stay here on level nineteen and  _not_  go to Carter's lab. Besides, she might decide to join him and it was only a few levels down to his office. Initially, he'd wanted to go to the commissary on level three to get some vanilla cake but instead he'd quickly pressed the button for Carter's level as he neared it. So pathetic, he thought to himself. Pushing his collar down in the back of his neck, he absentmindedly scratched the skin and turned the corner for the staircase.

He knew it was impossible, but he could swear he could smell that distinctive scent of her lab all the way from his position. It was ridiculous, his mind was playing tricks on him because he was afraid of losing Carter. Not that he had ever  _had_  her, as least not in the way he wanted her… Jack groaned, annoyed with himself and quickly headed down the stairs before the universe would turn on him again and Carter would run into him.

It was probably a bit cowardly, but he felt it was best to simply hide out in his office. There was still a lot of work to do and with the snow and everything he didn't feel like driving all the way back to his place. Might as well use those VIP quarters that came with his new rank and stay the night.

Jack counted his blessings on the way to his office, glad that he hadn't been stopped by anyone needing something from him. Although there was a good chance that had something to do with his murderous facial expression. Walter had been trained very well by Hammond and himself and thankfully the man knew when  _not_  to bother him. He'd simply glare at him or wave dismissively with his hand whenever he would indicate he needed something – like just now. "Paperwork, Walter. Lots of important paperwork," he used as an excuse and motioned towards his office. "Those files don't sign themselves."

"Yes Sir," Walter replied, while suppressing an eye roll. "I just wanted to inform you that HWS requested a message be sent to the Tok'ra."

"Ah," Jack looked up and nodded slowly before opening the door and plopping down in his chair. "Is it urgent?"

He frowned and looked at the message. "It said it wasn't life or death, but preferably soon, Sir."

"Then add it to the pile, Walter."

"Yes Sir."

Jack watched the man retreat from his office, thankfully no longer waiting for an official dismissal like he had done in the beginning. Merely out of respect of course, but it was still annoying. Rubbing his face tiredly, Jack grabbed the first manila folder he could find and opened it, ready to do some paperwork.

It couldn't have been more than half an hour when there was a knock on the door.

"What?" He barked, annoyed at the interruption. After a few seconds, he heard the door open hesitantly but still refused to look up. He had a gut feeling who it was. Taking a deep breath to steel himself, Jack's nostrils filled with delicious Carter-shampoo and he slowly raised his head.

"Sorry to bother you, Sir," Sam started, slightly uncomfortable. She'd heard through the grapevine the General was in a foul mood this evening – even though he'd seem pretty much his usual self during the meeting of the Science Department – but had taken a chance.

"What is it, Carter?"

Straightening her shoulders, she swallowed hard. Apparently, the grapevine was correct. "I was just in the control room and was told about the message for the Tok'ra."

"Yeah?" Jack inquired, raising his brow as he leaned back in his chair. "What about it?"

Sam wringed her hands and gave him a shy smile. She didn't usually ask personal favors – and when she did, she made sure he was in a good mood! "I was just wondering, Sir, if you could inform about my father when you contact them… I've been trying to reach him for a few weeks now and I still haven't gotten a reply. Sir."

"I'm sure Dad is fine," he tried to reassure her. "The old broad will keep him safe, Carter. If something had happened, we'd have heard from the Tok'ra themselves."

She smiled at his reference to Selmak and nodded slowly. "Yes Sir, I was just hoping to hear from him-"

Jack grimaced as realization dawned on him. "Because of the wedding," he finished, interrupting her. She hadn't told Jacob yet, because she would want to tell him in person and the Tok'ra liaison hadn't visited Earth yet. "Why don't we contact them now?" He suggested, surprising them both.

"Now, Sir?"

"Might as well get it over with so I can get back to the requisition forms for the commissary," he replied, rising from his chair. He had absolutely no idea why he'd suggested it, but her smile was worth it.

Sam beamed at him and quickly took a step back so he could lead the way to the control room. It hadn't been her intention to contact the Tok'ra – hopefully her Dad – right away, but she embraced the idea nonetheless. "Thank you, Sir," she quickly said, realizing she hadn't mentioned it yet.

"No problem, Carter," Jack answered as they descended the spiral stairs. "Walter, dial up the Tok'ra homeworld."

"Yes Sir."

Sam suppressed a smile at the reply; he didn't even seem surprised. She stepped closer to the General, just because he was standing near the comms, she told herself as her bare shoulder brushed his arm.

Jack listened to Walter doing his usual thing when dialing up a planet and glanced to his side when he felt Carter next to him. Her shoulder brushed his arm in a completely innocent manner but it ignited a fire in his body and he shuddered with the intensity of it.

"Sir?"

"What?"

Scratching her neck, Sam shrugged. "You, ah…" She motioned towards his body.

"Oh, just an electric shock, Carter," Jack tried nonchalantly.

"Really?"

He nodded as the last chevron locked and grinned at her. "Aren't you cold in that… thing?"

Blushing, Sam shook her head, awkwardly gesturing with her hand to in indicate her top. "Actually, I feel pretty hot, Sir."

Jack cleared his throat awkwardly and simply nodded. "Alright, but your arm is freezing."

"Sir," she nearly gasped when he placed his warm, rough palm on her shoulder.

"I'm telling ya, Carter. You're cold," he muttered, before moving his hand up to her burning cheeks.

Sam swallowed hard, her core temperature rising by his simple touch even when he lowered his hand back to his side. "I just have a very effective circulation, Sir. Women are generally more capable at retaining heat around their vital organs and the limbs just-"

"Ack!" Jack raised his hand, shaking his head. "Walter?"

"Sending the message through, Sir."

He nodded and raised his brows at Carter. "Try to contact Dad, otherwise leave a message. I'll be in my office," he added, before making a hasty retreat.

* * *

As soon as the cool late night air hit her face, Sam let out a deep sigh trying to relax her tensed muscles. The cold gust of wind made her shudder and she wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck. It wasn't snowing anymore but it was definitely freezing. Not that she minded; she'd been cooped up in the mountain ever since returning from her off-world mission earlier today. Like any underground facility, there were no windows only artificial lighting and a constant room temperature. Granted, her lab was probably a bit warmer than the corridors or the larger rooms considering the small enclosed space that housed all her equipment.

Even though it was already late, she enjoyed the night's sky as she walked towards her Volvo. Had she actually been studying deep space radar telemetry the past eight years, the stars probably would bore her. Instead, they gave her a sense of familiarity, knowing that she was home under the skies where she was born and raised. It was practically impossible to see any of the planets or moons they had visited from Earth, but her subconscious always calculated which visible ones were closest and it calmed her.

Reaching her car, she unlocked it and opened the door. The cold temperatures weren't bothering her, even though she'd mostly been wearing one of her black long sleeves and even her standard issued tank top today in the mountain. The corridors of the SGC were a bit cooler, so she often pulled on her BDU jacket but she hadn't been cold all day… as a matter of fact, she'd almost felt like she was burning up. At first, Sam had assumed it was because of the awkwardness with the General after her dreams, then his intense scrutiny and all the attention she got when doing her presentation – even after all these years, doing speeches or presentations still made her nervous – but her cheeks still felt hot until the moment she stepped out into the cool night.

She threw in her briefcase and slipped into the driver's seat. Time to go home. She'd actually contemplated staying on base, but she assumed the General would be spending the night there as well and she figured avoiding him was the best policy for now – unless it was work-related of course. Not to mention that cold outbreak Janet had mentioned when she'd briefly visited her friend in her office. And she'd already bought groceries for the weekend. It would be a waste to have to throw them out when she'd finally get back home, while she'd actually been on her home planet.

Sam found that despite the cold weather, snow and low temperatures, the roads were accessible once she drove away from the mountain. It didn't take her much longer than usual to get home and she could easily enter her street – unlike a few days ago when it had been snowing half the day as well.

It wasn't until she walked into her home and sorted through the mail and voicemails, that she realized she had plans for this weekend!

" _Hi babe, it's me. Just wanted to let you know that I had to work late tonight, so I'll probably be there tomorrow early afternoon instead of late morning. I've missed you, love you!"_

"Pete," Sam sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly as she hung her head. She'd totally forgotten he was coming over and that they had to discuss wedding plans. Scratching the itch on the back of her neck, she slowly walked around the kitchen – her briefcase already on the counter – and opened the fridge. She scrunched up her nose when a bad smell emanated from the appliance and quickly located some takeout leftovers and disposed of them.  _Might as well get the garbage out_ , she thought to herself when she realized she could still smell it. Still wearing her coat, she grabbed the bag and brought it out.

Once she came back inside, she shuddered and took off her clothes before disappearing into her bedroom. It was already very late and she was tired.

* * *

"Jack?" Daniel knocked on the office door, despite not waiting for an answer and simply barging through. "Jack?" He repeated, frowning when the office was empty. True, it was still early in the morning but he kind of expected his friend to be here since he hadn't left the mountain like himself. Turning on his heels, Daniel went down to the control room and inquired about the situation.

"Doctor Fraiser was the one who communicated with the natives on P2X-913, Doctor Jackson."

"Thanks Airman," he replied, before turning and heading to the corridor. He would go up to the infirmary and ask Janet what had happened. Jack hadn't even informed him that someone was going to contact the natives while he'd promised SG-1 could do the follow-up mission! It didn't take him long to reach level twenty-one, although he was surprised to find Janet hard at work already. "Janet!"

"Daniel," she smiled at him as she hung up a new IV bag. "How can I help you?"

"I heard we made contact with P2X-913 again and they told me in the control room you were there!"

Brushing a strand of hair back, Janet nodded. "That's right, the General had given me permission to contact them last night. But it was too late then on their planet so I did it about an hour ago," she grimaced, glancing at the clock. It wasn't even oh seven hundred yet!

"So?"

She chuckled at his childlike enthusiasm, even though it was a serious matter. "Let's go over here," she beckoned him and opened one of the empty private rooms. "My patients need their rest."

"Sorry," he smiled sheepishly and followed her inside. "I thought you didn't have that many patients anymore?"

"No offense, but men are like babies when they get a cold or the flu," Janet quipped, rolling her eyes. "Most patients have just that, but Lt. Woeste and several others are actually injured. I'm just glad everyone is clearing out of my infirmary – in the good way."

Daniel nodded in understanding. "Is it that bad?"

"I'm keeping them from the injured patients at the moment, but I'm still waiting for some blood work to confirm my suspicions."

"I had no idea a bug was going around," he shuddered, before sitting down on one of the chairs in the room.

"With respect, but when do you get out of this mountain and into town?" Janet grinned, pulling up a chair for herself.

He smirked and nodded. "Good point. So…?"

"I spoke to one of the natives named Prytanis Kuruku," she said slowly, still not used to alien names after all her years at the SGC.

Daniel bobbed his head in excitement. "Yes, he acted as a sort of guide for SG-6. Actually, I think it's more of title than a name, you see there's-"

"Daniel," Janet leaned forward and grabbed his forearm. "I don't have a lot of time."

"Oh, of course," he pushed up his glasses, silently chastising himself for trying to explain everything. He was just so excited about this planet, because there seemed to be links to Ancient Greece.

"Anyway," she continued, "I told him about our people getting sick and he said something about SG-6's journey to their village through their land and back to the gate with a snow storm, or something. I'm sorry, it was very confusing and he had a bit of an accent," she apologized.

Daniel shrugged noncommittally. "That's alright, I can work with that when Jack allows us to go back… what else did the man say?"

Janet sighed and sat back. "When I told him we were afraid our people had infected them with a cold strain, he told me not to worry that his people were not affected by this disease for many generations. Of course, I told him about the symptoms since I hadn't even specified what they had and that was when he introduced me to Maru. I think he was a healer. He tried to reassure me nothing was wrong with the natives and that they had their own medicine if anything would happen."

"Hum," he pursed his lips pensively. "Interesting."

"I don't know if it is," she confessed slowly. "But they obviously won't accept our help, which is understandable if we  _did_  bring a disease to their planet…"

"Did you actually see some of the natives?" Daniel inquired.

"Only him and Maru the healer through the camera on the MALP. And only in profile since they had no idea there was a camera on it."

Watching her rise from her chair, he followed her example and stood. "What about Teal'c? Can't he go through and really talk to them? I mean, he's not carrying a symbiote anymore but with the tretonin he is pretty much immune to any disease."

Janet shrugged and placed the chair back in its place. "I have no idea, to be honest. General O'Neill said no to Teal'c's offer, considering the population on the planet was once ruled by a Goa'uld and Teal'c's tattoo might scare them or something."

"I'll talk to Jack… I feel fine and I haven't heard Sam complain, so maybe SG-1 can still go to this planet," he smiled.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Daniel. I've spoken to the General about this last night and he said there would be no more missions through the gate until the blood work is done because we can't risk infecting other planets. I already have over two dozen people complaining of this bug."

He fumbled with his glasses a bit before placing them back. "I understand… Like I said, I'll talk to Jack. If I can find him that is."

"I believe he's in his private quarters," Janet offered. "Now, I have to get back to work."


	9. Chapter 9

Sam hissed and winced as she ran a comb through her wet hair. She'd just taken a shower after waking from another disturbing dream starring her CO. This was getting ridiculous! Yes, he was devilishly attractive and maybe he oozed a bit of sex appeal, but she was engaged! To someone else! And yet she couldn't stop her subconscious from thinking about all the things her General could do to her with those long lean fingers of his and how his weight would feel resting on top of her. Not that he'd been doing much resting in her dream…

A blush that was not the result of her shower just moments ago appeared, making her groan. "Damn it," she muttered, dropping the hairbrush on the counter and placing her hands on the sink, resting her weight on it. Why couldn't she stop thinking about him? She had made the decision to move on from her feelings for him over a year ago! It was one of the reasons why she'd accepted the setup by her brother, to meet his cop friend. The same man whose proposal she'd accepted over two months ago. Then why was her commanding officer suddenly haunting her dreams? She had been doing great only thinking of him in a professional manner lately…

Maybe it were pre-wedding jitters? A bit early perhaps, considering they still had months before the wedding, but it was true that she still found herself wondering if she'd made the right decision by dating Pete. By agreeing to marry him. They weren't even living together yet! In such moments, she tried to think about how they would spend the rest of their lives together – and she couldn't picture it clearly. Pete was great and he made her feel loved and treasured but they only saw each other on dates and spent the weekend together. What would it be like to have him around twenty-four seven? Well, not  _really_ all the time, considering they both had a job, but what would they do together? She couldn't discuss work even though he had minimum security clearance and he couldn't really tell her about the cases he was working on.

Frustrated, Sam ran a hand through her hair and reached for the blowdryer. She really had to stop doubting her decisions, because she wanted to be with Pete, marry him. Honestly, she did. It were just these stupid dreams and close encounters with the General that made her earlier doubts resurface. Her fiancé would arrive later today and everything would be fine. If she can just keep her mind off her CO and focus on the wedding.

She shivered as the hot air from the blowdryer hit her scalp and neck, a sharp contrast to her wet hair even though her cheeks were still burning. It reminded her of the electric contact last night, when her shoulder brushed against the General's shoulder and how little tendrils of desire had sparked through her body as he laid his hand on her shoulder. It was such an innocent gesture and yet it had ignited a flame in the pit of her stomach. It had been a long time since that had happened when it concerned him. But this past week it happened all the time, he didn't even have to touch her to have that arousing effect on her. Hell, he didn't even have to be present, she though grimly, once again reminded of her dreams and inappropriate thoughts. Not just because he was her CO, but because she was engaged to Pete.

Quickly finishing styling her hair, Sam rolled her eyes and tried to focus on today's plans. Once her fiancé was here, they would discuss some more wedding plans and then they had a meeting with Elaine, their wedding planner. That reminded her that she had to talk to Pete about some of Elaine's suggestions. She put away the blowdryer and slipped the towel from her body and placed it on the rack. Walking into her bedroom, she slipped into the lingerie she'd already laid out and donned a pair of jeans and a sweater.

* * *

" _Carter, this is a little out of line," he scolded, trying to use his badass colonel-glare at her. She simply stared at him with those blue eyes and dilated pupils. "Don't you-"_

 _Grabbing his shirt with both hands, she groaned and threw him on the bench next to her._

" _-think? Ah!" He uttered, the breath leaving his lungs as his back impacted with the wooden bench. Before he could do anything else, Carter straddled him._

" _You want me?" She asked as she leaned forward, her dog tags almost hitting him in the face. Moving her hips, she ground against him and kissed him._

" _No," he replied weakly, his voice muffled by her mouth on his, as his body betrayed him and moved against her. "No, not like this," he tried to convince her. Him. Both of them. Pushing her away, he scowled at her. "For crying out loud-" the rest of his words were cut off as Carter kissed him again and he couldn't help himself but respond for a few moments. Grabbing her shoulders, he pushed her away. "Carter! What's gotten into you?"_

 _Ignoring his questions, she captured his lips again. Covering his body with hers, she pressed herself against him, apparently intent on making him hers._

 _Fuck, he thought. He couldn't withstand much more if she kept this up, he was only human for crying out loud! Wrapping his arms around her, he rolled them over, slamming her body onto the ground. She groaned her protest…_

Jack groaned, blinking his eyes several times before he realized where he was. He rubbed the side of his head with which he'd hit the nightstand, wincing as he tried to get up from the floor. With a sigh, he dropped his forehead to the carpet. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself and his raging hormones and pushed himself off the floor. "Goddamned furniture," he scowled at the double-bed and its matching nightstand and rubbed his elbows, which had taken most of the impact when he'd rolled out of bed. These dreams were going to kill him one of these days, he was sure of it – if he didn't lose his sanity first.

Maybe he  _had_  finally lost it; it probably wouldn't come as surprise to most with his years in special ops, black ops and the entire stargate program. After all, how many brainwashing could one take? How many times could someone die and be revived before losing it? How many jaunts through the old orifice could a human body take before going bonkers? Oh, MacKenzie was going to have a field day with this if he'd ever find out – which he wouldn't, since Jack wasn't going to tell anyone about his erotic dreams and admit he was a pathetic, horny old man who had a thing for his hot, young and beautiful second-in-command. It was too much of a cliché, for one.

At least now he knew he was going home tonight to sleep in his own bed, since he hadn't fallen out of that one yet. Heaving another sigh, he dragged himself to his private bathroom – one benefit of becoming the base commander – and turned on the faucet. On automatic pilot he pulled off his shirt and boxers, before stepping under the hot spray of the showerhead. He quickly lathered his body, his hand lingering on his erection. Jack knew he needed to get to his office and do some more paperwork and he couldn't go out there like this… besides, he wasn't sure if he could control himself if he didn't take care of this and would run into Carter – it might be her day off but that had never stopped her from coming to the base and he wasn't taking any chances today.

Slowly moving his hand from base to tip, he braced himself against the wall with his other hand. It wouldn't take long, he was already rock hard and he briefly wondered why the hell he was dreaming about that incident in the locker room. All thoughts disappeared from his mind though as he tightened his grip and brushed over the tip with his thumb, a low rumble emanating from his chest at the sensations. The images and feel of Carter were edged in his memories and as he started pumping his hand over his turgid flesh, he could swear he could taste her on his tongue. The sexual frustration from these past few days combined with the erotic dreams and the feel of his rough palm moving over his cock had him moaning and thrusting helplessly into his hand. He squeezed and pressed his nails in the flesh, conjuring up the image of Carter straddling him and he came with an almost anguished cry. Jack continued to stroke himself as he softened and rested his head against the cool tiles of the shower as he tried to catch his breath. After a minute or so, he straightened, cleaned the walls and himself and finished his shower.

* * *

Sam was wringing her hands as the car descended to the lower levels of the SGC. For some reason she was nervous, which was ridiculous since she  _worked_ here and had a legitimate reason to be here. Even if it was her day off, she came in all the time in her spare time. Not to mention that she'd forgotten to bring her manila folder with the wedding stuff in it back home with her. It wasn't that she  _needed_  it, but it would be useful to have when discussing everything with Pete and later with Elaine. After all, that's why she'd made it in the first place.

The reason for her nervousness was quickly revealed though, when she stepped out of the car on level eleven to switch elevators and General O'Neill just passed the security checkpoint. "Sir!"

His head whipped around and quickly located her. "Carter, isn't it your day off?"

"Yes Sir," she smiled sheepishly and quickly walked up to the airman at the desk to check in. Sam wasn't sure why she'd called out to the General though, considering her greeting had practically forced him to stop and wait for her, meaning they would have to share the second elevator – together, as in just the two of them. What was he doing here anyway? Wasn't he supposed to be in his office, doing paperwork? Or at home?

Jack grimaced as he waited for her, rocking on his feet with his hands stuffed in his pockets. His parents – especially his mother – had always told him having a sweet tooth was a bad thing and Doc Fraiser kept telling him to lay off on the cake, but now he was finally facing the consequences of sneaking upstairs for a bit of cake with his coffee mid-morning. He should have just gone to the mess hall on level twenty-two, but no he wanted that chocolate vanilla cake he knew was on the menu of the commissary on level three – as he'd handled most of the paperwork. And now, he would have to go through another round of torture known as sharing an elevator with Carter. The last time hadn't gone that well for him and it had been awkward at best. He wasn't looking forward to another one of those scenes. At least this time she couldn't spring her dating another man on him again, and he already knew she was getting married to said man as well so that wasn't a surprise either. As far as he knew, she wasn't pregnant either – he so didn't want to think too long or hard about that – so maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

"You coming, Sir?" Sam asked, trying to be chipper as she pushed the button for the elevator.

 _If only_ , Jack thought, giving her a quick onceover. Instead, he nodded and walked up to her. "So, what brings you here on this fine day, Carter?"

"I forgot something," she replied hesitantly, not wanting to go into details. "And I wanted to finish up one of my experiments," she hastily added as the elevator doors opened.

"Ah," he nodded, stepping into the car.

"You, Sir?"

Jack shrugged, pushing the button for level twenty-seven. "Can't just leave the base because it's weekend, Carter. Those Goa'uld would certainly be knocking on our iris if we did that."

"Of course," she nodded, pressing the button for her lab. "But even General Hammond took time off, Sir."

He raised a single brow at her and canted his head. "Why Carter, are  _you_  telling me  _I_  need to take some time off and leave the mountain? Because, in case you forgot, you're here on your day off, Colonel."

"Yes Sir," Sam replied slowly, rolling her eyes but unable to stop the blush creeping up her neck.

He smirked, clasping his hand behind his back and after a few seconds tore his eyes off her face. Trying to look elsewhere, Jack couldn't help but notice how nice her black jeans were and he was a bit surprised to see her wear a pink, somewhat fluffy sweater which looked totally adorable on her. He clenched his fists, trying to control himself as she gnawed her lip and seemed to be studying the doors. Once again his nostrils filled with her unique scent, which he was sure was having a catastrophic effect on his brain.

Just being around him was making her heart beat faster and she was almost afraid he could hear it. As casually as possible, Sam wiped her hands on her sweater, pretending to adjust her open jacket. Despite the snow outside, she was still feeling hot and hadn't bothered zipping up her coat after putting it on for those few steps from her house to her car and her car to the base's entrance. Now, she could almost swear the temperature in the elevator was going up a notch. Or maybe it was the General's presence. They were standing close, but not too close. Still, she could practically feel the heat emanating from his body and although she wouldn't admit it aloud, she enjoyed it and refused to take a step aside. Besides, it would probably be too obvious for him if she were to move now.

Jack leaned a bit closer to her, noticing how her body swayed slightly towards him and inhaled deeply as his nose almost touched her hair. It was tempting to just grab her and press his face in her silky locks, nuzzling her neck and tasting her skin. But he couldn't, because it was wrong. Maybe he  _should_  have taken that Agent Johnson from the CIA up on her offer for dinner. But no, he felt the need to reject her because, although the brunette was attractive, she wasn't Samantha Carter, the woman he loved. He still could have tried to move on though, he told himself, at least that way there wasn't this suffocating pent up sexual frustration whenever he was around Carter these days.

Sam let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when the car stopped and the doors slid open. For some reason, she felt drawn to him and it took all her self-control to  _not_  lean into his hard body. The one she'd dreamed about last night, as it had covered hers. "Bye Sir," she croaked and quickly stepped out.

"Bye Carter," Jack mumbled, after clearing his throat. Luckily, the doors closed again and the car continued its way down.

* * *

Daniel strolled into the commissary at lunchtime, like always planning on joining Teal'c and Jack – as Sam was off duty – and quickly grabbed a few things and placed them on his tray. He hardly took his eyes off the translation he had been working on and walked over to their regular table. "Hey guys."

"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c bowed his head before peeling another banana.

Swallowing the last of his coffee, Jack glanced up. "Daniel."

"Teal'c, Jack," he mumbled, rolling his eyes. "You know Jack, I was wondering about P2X-913-"

"Oh for crying out loud…"

Placing the folder with his research on the table, Daniel cradled his cup of coffee. "Come on, Jack. Janet told me she already contacted the natives and they're not sick."

"Yet."

"Indeed, O'Neill and Doctor Fraiser are correct," Teal'c intoned formally. "It would be wise to await the analysis of the blood samples Doctor Fraiser took before proceeding with missions through the stargate."

"Thanks buddy," Jack slapped his shoulder and took a bit of his tuna sandwich. "We'll talk about it later, Daniel, when the Doc gives the okay. This cold bug is spreading like crazy, already almost forty are complaining of colds and some are even spiking fevers."

"Oh look, there's Sam," Daniel said instead of replying, waving his friend over to their table. Lately, Sam and Jack hardly spent any time together and avoided lunch if they knew the other was coming. It was probably because of Sam's engagement, but it was still awkward for him and Teal'c as well. "I thought you had the day off? Wasn't Pete coming over this weekend?"

She gave them a small smile and placed her manila folder and tray on the table. "Yes, he's coming by later today," she replied. "Sir," she greeted General O'Neill, who she'd only seen this morning when coming to base.

"I thought you were just here to finish some experiment and take whatever it was you'd forgotten to take with you," Jack spoke up, narrowing his eyes at her at the thought of her rushing home for that cop.

"I'm almost done," Sam shrugged.

Reaching out, Daniel grabbed her folder. "What did you forget?" He asked curiously, knowing she couldn't take anything classified off base.

"It's nothing," she said defensively, trying to snatch it from his hands.

"I believe it are the preparations for her union with Pete Shanahan," Teal'c informed his Tau'ri friend.

Jack had already recognized the folder as well and simply nodded. "You know Carter," he began as her and Daniel's efforts resulted in the folder falling open on the table surface, "I think, alphabetically speaking of course, dark red should come before this… red," he smirked, gesturing at the colored labels as he tried to make light of the subject.

"Actually Sir, I've organized them on their respective wavelength in the optical spectrum," she replied, digging into her blue jello. Hearing a silence fall upon the three men, she glanced up, her fork frozen midair only to see them stare at her. "That was a joke, Sir. It's wine red, not dark red."

"Ah," he frowned. "Funny, but nowhere near as funny as those Jaffa jokes, Carter. Well, kids, I have to get back to work," Jack added, picking up the remnants of his meal and getting up. He hadn't finished everything yet, but he didn't think he could stay around Carter much longer…

Teal'c rose as well. "I shall accompany you, O'Neill."

"I guess you have to get back to work as well," Sam stated more than asked as she glanced sideways at Daniel.

He simply shrugged and indicated the pictures he had taken with him. "I can wait. But shouldn't you get home soon?"

"In a bit," she grimaced, not looking forward to discussing her wedding to Pete now that her hormones were in overdrive as soon as the General was near.


	10. Chapter 10

Sam rolled her eyes as Elaine started discussing alternative locations for the wedding and simply stared out the window of the cafe. She and Pete had already gone over this and they had decided weeks ago that they would have a church wedding. Now, all of a sudden, he saw merit in Elaine's suggestions! "Elaine," she interrupted the woman impatiently. "We've already gone over this; we want a normal wedding. Not some sort of summer wedding on the beach."

"But Samantha," Elaine smiled indulgently at her client. "Just think of the harmony of the beach, the sound of the waves and-"

"The sand," she offered.

Pete squeezed her hand in silent comfort. "Babe, maybe Elaine has a point…"

"I hate sand," Sam replied icily, reminded of all the sandy planets she'd visited. "We've gone over this already…"

"I just want to cover all our bases," Elaine said gently. "I wouldn't want to make reservations and then you'd want to change the venue in a couple of weeks from now."

Pete nodded in agreement. "She's right, babe. I mean, the beach that sounds great!"

"Sand and sunburn," Sam muttered, rolling her eyes. "I don't want to look like a lobster on my wedding day and the sand just gets everywhere," she shuddered in memory. "What's wrong with a church?"

"Well, do you have a favorite church in mind?"

Glancing at her fiancé, she shrugged. "You suggested the one in Denver, where your family always goes to church."

"Yeah," he agreed, rubbing his chin. "I don't know…"

"Well, I'm not marrying you on a beach… we're in Colorado, for crying out loud," Sam cried out, frustrated. "Besides, you wanted to have a beach honeymoon."

Making some notes, Elaine muttered to herself and peered at the couple in front of her. "Okay, so we're not sure yet about the venue. What about-"

"We're marrying in a church for God's sake," she interrupted her impatiently. "Elaine, have you looked at my other suggestions?"

"Erm…"

Pete, using his detective skills immediately noticed the evading stance of their wedding planner. He could only guess it was because his fiancée was a bit too eager with her planning. He'd hardly set foot in her house when she'd gotten a  _folder_  with notes for their wedding. She had even organized the labels by alphabet! Well, the fact that she looked totally hot in her jeans and sweater made that okay, but still… "Babe, maybe you should leave some of the planning to Elaine, huh? After all, that's her  _job_ ," he chuckled softly.

"I would," Sam argued in a hushed tone, only for his ears, "if she wouldn't take forever with her planning!"

"Sam, honey, we pay her to do this, why not just leave things to her?"

Resisting the urge to glare at him, Sam sighed. "Because apparently then we would get married on a beach, while I'd be sunburned and sandy."

"Look," Elaine said in a placating tone, "obviously there are still some things you disagree on… why not discuss this amongst yourselves and we'll call later this week?"

Sam eyed the slim brunette warily. Maybe hiring a wedding planner hadn't been such a good idea after all? "Fine," she said, surrendering.

"Are you sure, babe?"

"It's alright Mr. Shanahan," Elaine smiled, holding out her hand and, as he gripped it, shaking his. "It's perfectly normal; Samantha just wants her dream wedding and I'm here to help you get it! I will see you soon, good luck!"

Pete smiled at her and waved her off. "She's great, don't you think?"

"I don't know," Sam said slowly, wondering if he hadn't picked up on her doubts. "Maybe we should rethink our decision-"

"You do want a beach wedding?"

Shaking her head, she sighed. "No Pete, I meant about the wedding planner."

"Why, what's wrong with her?"

"She keeps coming up with new ideas," Sam replied, getting exasperated.

"Babe," he chuckled, sliding his arm around her waist. "That's her job."

"No, she simply doesn't accept my decisions," she tried again. Hadn't he noticed how Elaine kept calling her 'Samantha' while using his last name to address him? Obviously the woman only valued Pete's opinion and he was so easily swayed by her!

He frowned at her, wondering what she was talking about. "You're imagining things, Sam. She just wants to make sure we make the right decisions. After all, she has a lot more experience with this than you do."

"Would you agree with her this easily if she was a guy?"

"What, that has nothing to do with it," he denied.

Rolling her eyes, Sam shrugged off his arm. "Let's just go home, okay? We can talk about this later, I'm tired."

"Are you okay? Did something happen while you were… you know," he smirked, holding up his index finger, "out there?"

"Pete, you know I can't talk about my work."

"But I have clearance!" He whined, pouting.

Grabbing the keys of her car, Sam shook her head. "Minimal clearance, you are only allowed to know what I do for a living."

"Well, your missions count as what you do for a living, don't they?"

"No, they don't," she sighed. "Any way, it has nothing to do with my work. I just haven't been sleeping very well lately…"

"Aha," Pete grinned as he followed her to the car. "You've missed me!"

Sam frowned at him as she opened the door of the car. "There's a cold virus going around base and we're really busy because of a backlog, so I haven't had much time to sleep. And when I could sleep, it was usually a restless sleep."

"Because you missed me, babe," Pete repeated with a smirk as he stepped into the passenger side of the Volvo.

* * *

After a late dinner and a few glasses of wine, Sam settled on the sofa with Pete as he watched one of his cop shows. Leaning into him, she gave him a small smile to reassure him watching the show was fine with her. It didn't hold her attention at all, but she was tired anyway. With a hot meal in her stomach and the alcohol still buzzing through her veins, she rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes for a minute.

 _He easily flipped her on her stomach and loomed over her. His hard planes resting on her body, the weight comfortable and familiar. She could smell him, his natural scent and the smell of sex was hanging in the enclosed space. He moved, one of his hands planted firmly next to her head and she tried to look over her shoulder to see what he was doing. Suddenly, his other hand pressed on the back of her neck, keeping her in place. Understanding, she remained still, wondering what was going to happen. She could still feel his presence, his slightly hairy legs straddling hers. His calloused hands moved over her skin, slowly, sensuously. Closing her eyes, Sam moaned her approval as he kneaded the muscles._

 _Then his figure cast a shadow over her as he leaned in, his nose brushing through her hair, his lips kissing her neck and shoulders. His tongue came into play, his fingers, mouth and tongue tracing her spine. His breath washing over her heated skin and she tried to move, but he wouldn't let her. "Mine," he whispered against her skin. His hands moved up her sides, brushing her breasts teasingly. "Mine," he repeated, breathing the words into her ear._

 _She felt his arousal pressing against her leg, brushing against the swell of her ass when he moved over her. "All mine," he murmured as his hands cupped the globes of her ass and his fingers slipped between them, caressing her. She wriggled, the bare mattress more comfortable than the floor but she wanted to feel more of him, see more of him. But he wouldn't let her, his hands again pressing on her back. "Mine, Samantha," his voice was like silk but the possessiveness sounded through loud and clear as he slipped his fingers between her legs. She clamped down on his hands against the touch, still sore from earlier and shocked at how easily his touch aroused her again._

 _He chuckled low in his throat, more a rumble vibrating throughout his chest. The chest he was pressing against her back as he covered her body with his. "Mine alone," he licked her ear as he slipped his hand underneath her to caress her breast and toy with her nipple. Those were still sensitive too. She shivered when his other hand pressed harder between her legs and suddenly desire flared up again inside her. He was rubbing his cock through her folds and she shuddered at the sensations as he pressed against her opening and then dragged it up to her ass. One rough hand grabbed her thigh, pulling it up to make more room and then his fingers thrust inside her, while she felt his throbbing flesh against the swell of her ass. His fingers twisted and pulled inside her and he pinched her nipple hard, making her whimper at the double sensations._

"Sam? Babe, what's wrong?"

She blinked her eyes several times, until she realized she was in her living room. Lying on the couch with Pete partially hovering over her. "Just a dream…"

"Yeah, you were shaking and whimpering, I was worried. A nightmare?"

Sam nodded mutely and sat up. "I think I'll just crawl into bed already. I'm tired."

"Do you mind…"

"Not at all," she smiled, following his gesturing hands. Apparently there was another cop show on. "I'll just sleep."

"Good night babe," Pete called out over his shoulder as she walked towards the bedroom. Shifting on the couch, he grabbed the bowl of popcorn and turned up the volume a bit.

* * *

"Sir, is everything okay?" Walter asked, cautiously eying the general.

"Peachy," Jack dryly retorted, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Are you…" he faltered, swallowing. "Are you sure, Sir? Because you look a litte…"

"Tired?" he groused, glaring at the chief master sergeant. "Just need to catch up on my sleeping, Walter."

Nervously clenching the notepad in his hands, he cleared his throat. "Well Sir, you don't have any important meetings today…"

"Yeah," Jack shrugged… "But these forms don't sign themselves."

"I know, Sir, but maybe you should take a break…"

He nodded, scrubbing his face with his hands. "Damn dreams," he muttered under his breath as he got up from behind his desk.

"Dreams, Sir?"

"Nightmares about paperwork, Walter," he quickly replied as he passed the man. "I'll be in the gym if there's some intergalactic emergency."

Walter nodded eagerly, turning around to leave the office as well. "Yes Sir, good luck Sir," he smiled. The man had been even more difficult to handle than usual since he'd gotten in a few hours ago. It was Sunday and he and the guys had hoped for a slow day, but with General O'Neill lurking around one can never be too sure…

Jack directly walked to his VIP quarters on level twenty-five to get his workout clothes. He needed a good workout with his Jaffa buddy to work out his frustrations, because his dreams had gotten even worse this morning. Plopping down on his bed, he recalled his latest dream.

" _Samantha," he mumbled her name against her lips. "You still think you can handle me?" Grabbing her hips, he pulled her down, the sensations making him grit his teeth to maintain control. She moaned as his cock slid through her folds, the head bumping against her clit. Breathing in deep, she let her head fall back and guided him into her opening._

 _His entire body tensed as he breached her and his fingers dug even further into her hips. He knew they'd be bruised come morning and he liked it, even using his nails when she sank a bit further on him. "God," he hissed through gritted teeth, his jaw clenching to keep control. She was going extremely slow, her muscles continuously fighting him as she tried to take more of him. Needing more, he reached up and tore of the last offending piece of clothing covering her. Her now-bared breasts swaying with the aggressive move and he grabbed one, covering it with his palm. Both nipples were rock hard and she moaned at the contact, halting her lowering on him._

" _All of me, Samantha," he groaned. Releasing her breast, he grabbed her hips and pulled her down on him roughly as he flexed his ass and thrust up. She cried out as he pushed himself inside of her, bracing herself on his chest with her hands. Her body was still fighting him, but it felt so good and so tight, he relished the feeling. Swatting her ass, he glanced up at her naked body. "Move," he ordered, pulling her off and then down again, stretching her beyond her limits as she slammed down on his pelvis. She yelped but before she could accommodate his size, he pulled her off again. And down._

" _Sir," she gasped, digging her nails in his chest._

 _He pulled her down on him again, pushing himself into her heat and enjoying the little yelp coming from her as he sat up, changing the angle._ _He watched as she rode him, her breasts bouncing and swaying, her body moving up and down as he saw himself slide in and out of her. A sheen of sweat broke out on her skin and he quickened the pace, forcing her to follow him. She was getting closer, he could feel it. His own release was clawing at his spine, but he kept fending it off. Not yet, he wasn't quite done yet… "Faster," he urged her, watching her as she worked herself into exhaustion, her rhythm faltering and her muscles straining as she sought release riding him. But he swatted her hand away when she reached her clit and pulled both wrists behind her back…_

That's when he'd woken up, earlier this morning and in definite need of a shower. Afterwards, he'd grabbed a quick breakfast and barricaded himself in his office. Realizing reliving his dream was definitely not helping him in any way, Jack groaned and got up from the bed. Grabbing his bag, a clean towel, socks and underwear, he made his way to the locker room to get dressed, knowing Teal'c was already in the gym at this hour.

* * *

Frustrated, Sam raised the speed of the treadmill and quickened her pace. Her muscles were protesting but she didn't care, she needed to run it off. With the heavy snowfall she didn't want to run outside and suddenly the SGC had allured to her. Quickly repressing the thought of a certain silver-haired general, she'd written a note for Pete and left for work. She didn't even remember at what time she'd entered the gym, all she could think of was working out her frustrations.

It had started last night, after she'd gone to bed. Well, that dream on the couch in Pete's arms was more likely the beginning. Or perhaps she'd been off her game all week… either way, it had taken a turn for the worst last night as she'd crawled in bed. She'd told herself that she wasn't allowed to think of the General and had repeated all the reasons why to herself. Of course, her subconscious wasn't listening and soon she'd started dreaming again. It was probably a continuation of her earlier dream, although it seemed far longer than a regular dream afterwards.

The General had been all over her again, only this time he'd pulled her up on her knees and slammed into her with his throbbing cock. It was too much at once, but he immediately starting thrusting in and out of her, not giving her a moment to adjust. It had been rough, hard, fast and so goddamn hot that she'd come from his taking her alone. Her arms had given out and she'd collapsed on the mattress and he'd kept going, taking her so hard that she moved up and down the bed. With his hand on her back keeping her pressed down, he thrust in and out of her so hard her hands had to be placed against the headboard to keep her somewhat in place. She had already been close to coming again when he slipped his hand between her thighs and sped up his pace.

 _Then_ , she'd woken up in her darkened room, all hot and bothered. She was almost embarrassed to admit it, but she'd woken Pete – who was snoring beside her – up for midnight sex. The only problem was that it was such a disappointment after her dream. She'd told him to take her from behind, to do her hard and fast but in the end, he was coming while she'd been left frustrated. Not even picturing her dream had helped as Pete's pace had faltered pretty fast, he simply couldn't keep up. It was unreasonable of her to expect him to live up to some erotic dream of her subconscious, she knew that but it was still frustrating as hell. Not to mention she'd slept like crap!

She'd only just switched off the treadmill and was drinking some water with her towel around her shoulders when she heard Teal'c's greeting.

"O'Neill, will you be joining me for some physical exercise?"

 _The General_. He was here as well! Sam almost choked on her water, but cleared her windpipe after a few coughs. Unfortunately, that seemed to draw his attention.

"Carter," he mumbled in a greeting.

Frowning, she waved with her hand. "Sir."

"I'm sparring with Teal'c," Jack called to her, trying to ignore how delicious she looked in her sweaty workout clothes. Obviously, his Colonel was almost finished with her workout.

"Have fun, Sir," Sam muttered, watching him as he walked up to Teal'c. Suddenly, she decided she wasn't quite ready yet to leave the gym and started cleaning up equipment that was lying around on the floor. Probably those jarheads again…

It had been over half an hour since Jack and Teal'c had started their workout when the phone rang.

From his position on the floor, Jack gestured for Teal'c to get it as he was still nursing his… well, wounded pride, probably. He knew the Jaffa was stronger and could take more, but he didn't like the fact that Carter was still hanging around to witness him being kicked around the mat. She might think less of him and he couldn't have that. After all, he was 'The Man'. Even if he couldn't have her, he was still 'The Man'…

"O'Neill," Teal'c stepped up to his friend and extended his arm to help him up. "Chief Master Sergeant Harriman has requested assistance in an incident."

Frowning, Jack grabbed his hand and pulled himself up. "What kind of incident?"

"I do not know, he did not say."

"My help?" He whined slightly, only having escaped his office for half an hour! Then again, considering the starring role of his erotic dreams was still walking around here, perhaps a break was in order.

"He did not specify. However, I shall offer my assistance as your exercise was not yet optimal."

"Ah c'mon T, you can't leave me here alone," Jack muttered, rolling his eyes. "I'll get changed as well…"

Raising a brow, Teal'c scanned the room. "Colonel Carter might be of assistance."

"What?"

"Have you and she not exercised together in the past?" he inquired, as he signaled the Tau'ri female.

Alarmed, Jack stammered a bit. "Ah, well… you know… that's been a while…"

"What has, Sir?" Sam asked as calmly as she could. She'd felt his eyes on her several times and now that she was closer to him, she gave her own eyes what they craved for: Jack O'Neill.

"Oh, Walter needs some help so Teal'c thought you and I could finish working out. Together."

"Ah, well," she bit her lip. "Er, I don't know, Sir."

Suddenly feeling the need to prove himself to her, Jack straightened to his full height. "What's the matter, Carter? Afraid an old man can still kick your a-six," he quickly corrected himself in time.

"No Sir," she quickly replied. "Ah, that didn't come out right. I don't think of you as an old man, Sir," she gave him a small smile.

"Very well, then I shall leave you to your exercise," Teal'c spoke up, bowing his head slightly.

Jack rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Ready Carter?"

"I guess," Sam muttered, unsure if this was such a wise idea. Then again, she could hardly say no, could she? He was still her CO, he could simply order her to take Teal'c's place.

"No being soft on your CO, Carter," he warned her, narrowing his eyes. He knew she could kick ass, but he was still pretty good at it as well. And luckily for him the gym was pretty much deserted except for the two of them and some jarheads that were finishing up.

Getting ready, she shook her head. "Of course not, Sir. I wouldn't dream of it."

After a few rounds the score was pretty much a tie, not that either of them had kept scores since they were both wiping the floor with the other.

To her embarrassment, Sam had to admit – to herself – that she enjoyed it. It didn't matter if she ended up on the mat or floored him, as long as they were having fun. And she was. Maybe a bit too much, she thought to herself when she straddled his waist and found herself leaning into him. "I win," she exclaimed triumphantly, holding his hands pinned to the floor.

Jack tried to squirm out of her hold, but damn, his Colonel had picked up a thing or two lately. She had probably been working out with Teal'c! The traitor. Not that he minded much, he was enjoying being this close to Carter again after so long. Not that it was smart, but they were only working out, right? "This round," he replied softly.

"This was the last one, Sir," she reminded him. They'd said they'd do ten rounds and this was the last one. "That makes this my sixth win."

"Fifth," he tried correcting her. "I won five too."

Realizing the position she was in, Sam quickly straightened and leaned back, releasing his wrists. "Fine, Sir, then it's a tie."

"Excellent," he smirked, waiting for her to get off him. "One more to see who's 'The Man'?"

That made her giggle, her body shaking with laughter as she tried to keep quiet. "That's alright, Sir. I'm definitely not a man."

Bringing up his hands, Jack rested them on her hips. "Definitely not," he replied. "All woman," he added in a whisper.

"Yes Sir," Sam replied, although she couldn't make out the last thing, still giggling softly.

"No giggling, Colonel."

Straightening her shoulders, Sam did a perfect salute – albeit sitting, still straddling him. "Yes Sir, sorry Sir."

Jack swallowed hard as the action made her move back a bit and the salutation made her tank top tighten over her full breasts. Suddenly, he was reminded of his dream and he could feel his body reacting to the images. She canted her head slightly, a mysterious smile on her face and he couldn't help but wonder if she'd be this playful in bed… Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm his body but instead he smelled her. That delicious Carter scent, a bit sweaty from their workouts and his subconscious immediately compared the image to the one from his dream. He squirmed under her, trying to forget about that soft pink bra he'd ripped from her lean body and how he'd watched her ride him. The same sheen of sweat covering her body, her hair a bit wet from exertion…

"Sir?" Sam asked softly, taken a bit off guard by his lustful expression. God, he looked just like her dream. The same heated gaze, desire swirling in those dark brown depths, his nostrils flaring and she felt her body respond to the images. She shifted, wondering if maybe she should just get out of here while she still could when she felt it… him. His reaction to her.

He felt her body stiffen on top of him and knew she'd realized the effect she had on him. "Fuck Carter, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" He gasped, when she moved her hips, her sweet little six brushing against his erection.

"Sir," she replied in a breathy tone, her eyes cast downwards as his fingers dug into her hips and her own hands rested on his chest. Lifting herself a bit, she moved further back and ground down on him. He was so hard under her, hard and throbbing and she  _needed_  to do this.

Thrusting up, Jack felt her answering wetness and groaned, pulling her harder against him. Quickly he sat up and rolled them over. Covering her body with his own, he insinuated himself between her legs. "Carter," he moaned, dropping his head against her shoulder.

Sam moved against him, spreading her legs further until he was throbbing against her shorts-covered center. "I want you," she murmured in his hair, one hand moving over his back to pull him flush against her while the other slipped into his hair.

"I know," he mumbled, thrusting against her. "I can smell you."

Squeezing his ass, she nodded. "Me too," she whispered in his hear, her tongue darting out to taste him. "You taste so good. Sir…"

He moved his head to look at her and suddenly her lips were on his. Her tongue asking for entrance and their teeth clashed in their haste as he opened his mouth. She tasted wonderful, just like in his dream, he thought as his tongue swept along hers.

Sam slipped her hand under his shirt, moving it over his sweaty back. "More," she demanded as they broke the kiss, her lips already latching onto his tanned neck.

Shifting slightly, Jack pressed her legs open even further and was rewarded with a little gasp from her when he found her clit as he moved his hips against her. Suddenly, her hand slipped lower, down the elastic of his shorts and her nails dug into his ass. He groaned, thrusting harder against her, his own hand finding a full breast with a taut nipple.

"Sir," she mumbled against his skin, trying to wrap her leg around his waist for more contact.

He grabbed her hair and pulled her head back, revealing the pale skin of her neck to him. His lips attacked the unmarred skin, licking, sucking, nibbling… Huffing, Jack tugged harder on her hair while his other hand cupped her six. "I can smell him on you," he growled, pulling back to glare at her.

"What?" Sam asked, slightly dazed from the arousal coursing through her body. "Who?"

"Shanahan," he growled, slamming his hips against her.

She shuddered as his rock hard erection bumped against her clit and grew even wetter at the contact. "No, I want you-"

"Look at me," Jack hissed, pulling on her hair.

Sam yelped, her eyes finding his almost black ones. He looked dangerous and… so hot. "Sir-"

Holding her gaze, he ground himself against her very slowly watching her eyes darken with want and desire. "Mine," he whispered, tracing her center as best he could through their clothes with his erection.

"Yes…"

"Ah, there you guys are!" Daniel exclaimed, leafing through his folder. "I was just wondering if… oh, am I interrupting something?" he looked up when he reached the mat. "Teal'c said you were working out, I figured you'd be done already."

Clenching his fists, Jack suppressed the urge to kick the crap out of him. Instead, he tried to slide off Carter as inconspicuously as possible and rose to his feet, with his back to his friend. Tugging his shirt down to hide his arousal, he shrugged. "Yeah," he cleared his throat. "We're done."

"Okay, good," he continued, already glancing back at the file. "Because I was looking at the data collected by SG-6… oh and Teal'c and Walter said they needed you for that incident," Daniel added.

"I'll just hit the showers," Jack mumbled, keeping his towel and water bottle in front of him. "See you in the corridor."

"But Jack!" he rolled his eyes when his friend just kept walking. Turning, to look at Sam, he frowned. "You okay, Sam?"

"Fine," she replied, getting up from the mat. "Just fine."

Daniel nodded pensively, before glancing back at Jack's retreating form. "So, what happened here?"

"Nothing!"

"Oh come on, Sam! The man practically  _limped_  out of here. You two obviously got a bit out of control and-"

Grabbing his arm, she glared at him. "Just let it go, Daniel! Nothing happened."

"-he just won't admit he's injured his knee again," he finished. "Fine, then don't tell me. Don't worry, I won't mention it to him."

Sam let out a sigh of relief and hung her head. "I need to get showered…"

"Yeah, sure. Um. I'll see you around," he smiled, making his way back to the corridor.

She nodded and walked towards the women's locker room, wondering what the hell had just happened? What if Daniel hadn't walked in when he did? What had they been  _doing_? Was she out of her mind?


	11. Chapter 11

Daniel, with a glowering Jack on his heels, quickly led the way to the control room, from where Walter and Teal'c had sent him to find Jack because apparently  _something_  had happened. He hadn't really noticed something wrong as he'd crossed the briefing room on his way to Jack's office, perusing the file with SG-6's mission reports for P2X-913 when he'd heard the scuffle in the control room below. After peeking down the spiral staircase, he heard Walter call out for help and Teal'c had quickly stepped in. With his keen senses, his Jaffa friend saw him lurking at the stairs and told him to 'find O'Neill'.

Fiddling with the folder in his hands, he threw a glance over his shoulder as he reached the elevators. "So…" he tried to get his friend to talk without endangering his own life, if his mood was any indication. Pressing the button, he waited for Jack to catch up with him.

"What?" he barked, scowling at him as he turned to take the stairs.

"Ah, Jack… Do you think that's wise?"

His scowl deepened even further as he looked at the archeologist who had just interrupted him and Sama- _Carter_! "What?" he repeated, thinking taking the stairs would be a safer option because he knew Carter had gone to get showered and dressed – he tried hard not to picture that in his mind – and it would probably be only a matter of minutes before she'd come out here and would want to use the elevator to get to her lab or go home to spend the last of the weekend with her precious fiancé.

"Taking the stairs with your knee? Janet would kill both of us if she found out!" Seeing Jack's scowl turn into a frown, he held up his hands. "Hey, Sam didn't say anything, as a matter of fact she said everything was fine and nothing happened… but you _limped_  out of the gym, Jack. I'm not blind and judging by the way I found you sprawled over Sam and the effort it took you to get off her, I'd say your knee must have really hurt."

 _My knee?_  Jack grimaced and scrubbed his face with his hands. Like hell it had been his knee that was bothering him so much he had to jerk off under his ineffective cold shower before getting dressed. Risking a glance over his shoulder to check if Carter was anywhere in sight, he changed his stance slightly and nodded when his hot Colonel was nowhere to be seen. "Yeah, you're right. Wouldn't want Fraiser to come at me with her big, honking needles," he replied as he limped back to the elevator without being too obvious. "So, what was this thing about?"

"I have no idea," Daniel shrugged. "Teal'c just said I had to come and get you and since I already wanted to talk to you…" he smiled when the elevator doors opened and stepped into the car, pressing the button for level twenty-seven. "… about that follow-up mission to P2X-913-"

"For crying out loud, Daniel," he sighed, exasperated and rolled his eyes. "There are no off-world missions scheduled-"

"But Jack! There are ties to Ancient Greece…" he fumbled with the folder and pulled out the print of the recording Colonel Barnes' team had made, holding it up for him to see. "Look, those clothes-"

Raising his brow skeptically, he glanced from the picture to Daniel. "Clothes?"

"Well, loincloths and kilts," Daniel admitted, glancing at the pictures himself and tapping on the woman in the background. "And robes. Anyway, that's how the Minoans used to dress, Jack!"

"Yeah, so did Ghandi," he groused, before his eyes quickly took in the flounced skirt and short-sleeved robe that fell open to the navel on the native woman. Maybe it  _was_  a good idea to send SG-1 there if only to see Carter wearing the native attire…  _No!_ Jack quickly shook himself, forcing himself to stop thinking of Carter like that – or simply at all. Besides, he wouldn't want everyone to see Carter like that. She was his and his alone…  _No, she's simply my 2IC, nothing more! What happened in the gym was… a mistake._

Grabbing another picture, he tapped it with his finger as they exited the car and entered the corridors. "And there was a bull statue!"

"Oh, why didn't you mention that earlier? A bull statue… well, I'll roll out the red carpet then," Jack said sarcastically as they finally reached the control room and went up the steps. "Walter! What happened?" he yelled as his eyes quickly scanned the small space. Some chairs were lying on the floor and it looked like some equipment had tumbled as well, because even though mostly everything was in place but a bit skewed. Not to mention that there were shards of glass on the floor and something that could be blood… all in all, it looked like there had been a struggle. "Walter?"

"Yes Sir," Walter replied crisply, coming up from behind a cabinet. "Ah… well, there was an incident, Sir." He quickly looked around and stepped closer to the General. For once, he had no intention of attributing to the grapevine after what had happened. "Sir…"

Eyeing him warily, Jack snapped his head in the direction of the spiral staircase. "My office," he barked, striding away, forgetting about faking his knee injury for Daniel.

Walter quickly climbed the stairs, Dr. Jackson on his heels and General O'Neill was already crossing the briefing room. "Ah, Sir."

"What happened," Jack repeated, when Walter followed him into his office and Daniel remained waiting in the briefing room.

"Staff Sergeant Davis was attacked, Sir," Walter said in a hushed tone.

"What! Why, by whom?"

Gulping, he glanced around nervously. "By Colonel Ferretti, Sir."

"What?" Jack barked out, baffled. SSgt Davis was one of the technicians from the control room, an attractive, petite dark-haired woman who was almost as efficient as Walter himself and always very respectful, polite and had been here since the second year of the program. And Lou Ferretti, well he'd been on his team on the first mission to Abydos! "What the hell is going on here, Walter!"

"Ah, I'm not sure, Sir. But it looked like Colonel Ferretti blindsided SSgt Davis and by the time I got here Sly and Verne… Ah, I mean MSgt Siler and TSgt Alberts, Sir, were trying to get him off her. I grabbed the phone and called for help, and minutes later two SFs and Mr. Teal'c came in and restrained him, Sir."

"Where are they now?"

"Mr. Teal'c told the SFs to throw him in an isolation room, Sir and he picked up SSgt Davis and brought her to the infirmary."

"Fuck," Jack muttered, dragging a hand through his hair. "I'll be in the infirmary, Walter. And remember… not a word!"

"No, Sir, of course not, Sir," he replied immediately. With everything they witnessed and all the alien invasions, people around here got close and they were a tight group. They worked long hours and the only ones they could talk about work was each other, so everyone was pretty friendly some even more like family. They even got along with most of the officers and jarheads, which was saying something from his experience… And yes, they had betting pools about stuff and they didn't mind gossiping about the latest off-world news in between running diagnostics, but Laura was one of their own… he would never pass what happened to her on to the grapevine and he knew Siler and Vern wouldn't either. Or anyone else who might have overheard.

"Jack, what happened?" Daniel asked as he walked back to him.

"Ferretti attacked Davis, she's in the infirmary," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck before signaling him to follow.

* * *

"Teal'c!" Daniel exclaimed upon seeing the large Jaffa standing guard in front of the isolation rooms. Like Jack, he picked up his pace and stopped in front him. "So, what happened?"

"O'Neill," Teal'c bowed his head in acknowledgement and stepped aside so he could pass, continuing to the infirmary where Doctor Fraiser was examining Staff Sergeant Davis, while he himself guarded the isolation room where Lieutenant Colonel Ferretti was held. "Daniel Jackson."

Jack understood and wordlessly continued on to the infirmary, his first priority the attacked female under his command.

Daniel, on the other hand, realized he wasn't needed in there – more likely would get in the way of Janet and her staff – so he stayed with Teal'c and glanced at the door behind his massive body. "What happened?" He asked again, gesturing wildly.

"O'Neill and I were sparring when Chief Master Sergeant Harriman required assistance. I offered my assistance so O'Neill and Colonel Carter could continue their physical exercise. I am unaware of what transpired before I arrived at the control room."

He bobbed his head in understanding, folding his arms and pursed his lips in concentration. "I know, you were already there when I overheard the scuffle from the briefing room. I was looking for Jack, but he wasn't in his office. Then, after seeing you in your workout clothes, I realized he was probably in the gym and found him and Sam there. How was Staff Sergeant Davis?"

"She was in psychological shock according to Doctor Fraiser," he informed his friend with a raised brow.

"I can only imagine," Daniel mumbled. After all, Lou Ferretti was former black ops, like Jack and Laura Davis was a petite woman who didn't have the training officers do, let alone special operations! "Do you know why he," he jerked his head to the door, "attacked her?"

"I believe his intention was to copulate," Teal'c replied solemnly, the corners of his mouth drooping in disdain.

He frowned, his mind in overdrive. "But why?"

"SSgt Davis is an attractive, fertile female with an important function in this command and-"

"I know!" Daniel exclaimed, waving his hand. "I meant, what possessed him to assault her!"

"I do not know, Colonel Ferretti has disregarded our attempts of communication, although he appears to utter soft moans in response to physical injuries at certain moments," Teal'c concluded with small satisfaction. "On Chulak, when a woman has denied an insistent man with the intentions to-"

Grimacing he scratched his neck. "Let me guess, it involves a weapon of some kind?"

"Indeed."

"It's all very strange," Daniel mumbled, before looking up. "First that fight between Woeste and Johnson… although, now that I think about I never really trusted Major Johnson since his outburst when he attacked you that first time we had to work with him."

"Was Major Johnson not under the influence of the Touched virus at the time, Daniel Jackson?"

Grabbing his glasses, he rubbed his tired eyes. "Yeah, I know. But even before we left for the Land of Light, he was eyeing you. I mean, most people just started fighting for dominance and stuff, but he purposely attacked you – even though you could easily take him – because of your symbiote."

"Many Tau'ri were infected after our mission to P3X-797. Do you still hold O'Neill and Colonel Carter responsible for their actions?"

"Well, no… but I trust them. Johnson has always been so aggressive, a typical jarhead. I can't believe he was actually promoted to captain, let alone major. But I guess the marines prefer them aggressive," he mumbled to himself, shaking his head. "Anyway," Daniel spoke up, "first that fight, although Johnson tried to make it sounds like a training accident and now Ferretti assaulted Davis for no reason…"

Teal'c inclined his head pensively. "Indeed, I have encountered many Tau'ri who are short-tempered these recent days. Perhaps it is because of what Dr. Phil refers to as cabin fever."

"Doctor Phil?" Daniel questioned, furrowing his brow. "Is that the new psychologist? I guess not going off-world is quite a change for most of us and even Jack has been grousing all week. Although it looks like his knee is bugging him again, because sparring with Sam seemed to have aggravated it today. So maybe that's why he's been so… moody lately."

"Indeed."

"I already heard Colonel Dixon was infected with the cold virus and he called in sick yesterday because he'd gotten his wife and four kids sick too, so they were all miserable at home," he added. "At least here there's always food and coffee in the commissary, so we don't have to cook or anything. And I think I actually sleep better on base than in my apartment."

Raising a brow, Teal'c glanced at him. "I was unaware you actually slept, Daniel Jackson."

"I do, I just get carried away with my research sometimes," he said defensively.

"Perhaps your sleep deprivation allows you deep sleep once O'Neill orders you to your quarters," he said with a small smirk, reminded of Tau'ri TV shows that feature parents sending their children to their rooms when they misbehaved.

* * *

 

The first thing that hit Jack when he entered the infirmary was the smell. After all his years in the service – and subsequent admittances – it had become such a distinctive smell that he could tell where he was before opening his eyes. Thankfully the infirmary here didn't smell as bad as the hospitals but it was still very distinctive and at the moment it smelled like someone had sterilized the entire infirmary, instead of their equipment. "Doc!" he called out blindly, not actually seeing Fraiser with all the nurses and SFs moving around.

Suddenly the petite doctor rounded the corner and spotted him. "Sir!"

Jack frowned and moved towards her, wondering what the flurry of activity was all about with the exception of SSgt Davis, of course. "Doc, what's going on?"

"I take it you've been informed about what's happened, General?" She asked curtly, gesturing for him to follow her to the private room where she'd placed Laura Davis.

"Walter told me Ferretti attacked SSgt Davis but I don't have the details," he said, unable to keep some of the disbelief out of his voice. Not that he didn't believe them but he just never imagined something like this happening on his base, let alone with the two involved.

Stopping in front of the door, Janet decided to update him here rather than in front of her patient. She'd administered a sedative so that the staff sergeant could rest, but she didn't want to take any chances. Scowling around her, she waited until the area cleared. "Sexually assaulted, Sir."

"Crap," he muttered, scrubbing his face with his hand. "I just don't get it… I mean, why would he do something like that? I've known the man for years, he's been part of this program before it even begun, for crying out loud!"

"I can't tell you that, Sir," she replied curtly. "All I can tell you is that he  _did_  do it. Luckily, he was interrupted in time by the technicians and the SFs and Teal'c were able to restrain him, so he wasn't able to penetrate her, Sir." Seeing the relief on her commander's face, made her shake her head. "She's still traumatized, Sir. From what I've heard and what I can tell from the physical evidence on the Staff Sergeant, Colonel Ferretti was out of control and he used brute force… I've already called Doctors MacKenzie and Hutchison down here to talk to both of them and find out what the hell happened."

Jack grimaced at the mention of the psychiatrist and psychologist. "I doubt Ferretti will talk to them, but hopefully they can help her. I still can't believe this…"

"That's not all, Sir," Janet warned him. When he raised his brows at her, she sighed and gestured towards the SFs who'd finally gotten back to their positions and the few nurses that were still around. "After hearing that Colonel Ferretti was taken to isolation, one of his men, Major Warren came to check what was wrong…"

"And?" Jack urged her, motioning with his hand impatiently.

Glancing up her CO, she narrowed her eyes. "He attacked one of my nurses, Sir."

"What?"

"He practically jumped Lieutenant Evans, Sir, moments before you got here. Now, the SFs had already taken care of it and placed him in isolation as well. Luckily they were standing by and there were a few male nurses too, so after they stumbled to the ground Lt Evans was quickly pulled free from his clutches."

Huffing, Jack glanced around the infirmary. "I can't believe this… why in god's name would they do such a thing? Last I heard Lou was dating that redhead from O'Malley's and Warren is married-"

"That really doesn't mean anything, Sir," Janet replied as respectfully as possible.

"I know that," he groused. "But why do it here, now? In broad daylight so to speak with all these people around. I mean, Warren has a temper and some insubordination issues but Lou is a good guy…"

She nodded as she was aware of this. She actually liked Lou Ferretti, had treated him many times in her infirmary and not once had anyone complained about him. She'd never really liked Major Warren, but that was just a feeling she had nothing she could base it on… well, nothing other than the fact he hadn't been promoted in all the years he'd been working here – and he'd started out here under Kawalsky's command at SG-2 way back in the beginning of the program. "Sir, I've also got some of the results back from the lab… Now, I don't know if this is in anyway related, but Major Johnson's blood hormones were imbalanced. There was a lot of testosterone present, which could explain his aggressive behavior."

"So you were right about it not being a training accident, Doc?" Jack asked with a sigh, slumping a bit. It was Sunday, it was supposed to be a slow day for crying out loud!

"I doubt it, Sir," Janet agreed, nodding her head. She'd already mentioned in her first report that the injuries Lieutenant Woeste had sustained were inconsistent with Major Johnson's version of what had happened. "I've already had blood withdrawn from both Major Warren and Colonel Ferretti and put a rush on it for the lab."

"Good job, Doc."

* * *

Jack yawned but kept his eyes on the road as he drove away from the SGC. Before he realized it, he was driving into Carter's street, like a moth drawn to a flame.  _Carter!_  He hadn't even had time to deal with what had happened between them earlier today. Instead, his time had been spent trying to find out what the hell had been going on at his base, with his men suddenly out of control and jumping women. He hadn't even had time to think about Carter – for the most time. He knew she had signed out though, as he'd checked the sign out and wasn't at all surprised to see she'd fled the mountain only moments after he and Daniel had gone down to see what had happened in the control room.

He had no business being here, he told himself as he parked his car on the other side of the street. All they had done was kiss… well, and maybe a bit of groping and grinding but there had been no changes, discoveries or revelations of feelings involved. He was still her CO and she was still engaged to that cop. Jumping from his truck, Jack glared at the car at the curb. He recognized it as the one Shanahan drove, as he had done a little digging of himself after that smarmy little cop had done a background check on Carter and was even told about the stargate program. Obviously the President had lost his mind; it was a good thing he hadn't voted for the guy. First he gives Hammond permission to tell the cop all about the program and what Carter does for a living and then he promoted Jack to base commander!

Huffing out a breath in the cold night's air, Jack passed the silver car and walked up the path to Carter's house to… do what? He had no idea. As he came closer he could see her – them. Sitting on the couch together and if he wasn't mistaken, the cop had his arms around Carter and they were watching some sort of cop movie. Carter hated those movies, she'd always used to complain whenever someone brought them over for movie night with the team. Not that they had much of those these days, because she was always too busy with her new beau and it was no fun to have a movie night with just the guys.

His hand was already in his pocket, searching for the spare key he had of her house when he realized what he was doing. What the hell was he thinking? He couldn't just waltz in there! What would he say?  _Hey Carter, I just came by to finish what we started this morning in the gym. Oh hey, Shanahan, don't let the door hit your ass on your way out._  No, it didn't work like that. That damn cop was getting in the way what was his. Samantha belonged to him, everyone knew it! From that first meeting it had been clear… But no, he had to be the noble one and let her get on with her life and now she was screwing with his head.

Oh, how tempting it was to knock on the door, wait for Carter to open it, pick her up and drag her to her bedroom. Shanahan couldn't be really seen as a threat, not for someone like himself. But maybe he should take care of him first… Shaking himself, Jack tried clear his head of these bad ideas and decided to go back to base. He wasn't in the mood for his empty house and it was far less tempting to leave the mountain again later tonight. As he walked down the path to his truck, he glanced at the car… oh, how easy it would be to make it look like an accident. But no, if he was going to get rid of what was between him and what was rightfully his, he'd fight him personally. Snap that chubby little neck of that cop.

* * *

Sam grimaced and waved one last time when Pete's car disappeared from sight. They'd argued a bit about the wedding planner after watching  _Cop_  for the umpteenth time and then his work phone had rang. She was glad he was gone, because her mind was still whirling with what happened earlier today, with her and the General. God, if Daniel hadn't interrupted them… well, she was pretty sure they'd ended up naked on the security cameras. She could only hope that with Daniel not realizing what had been going on, it simply wasn't clear for anyone else looking down at them.

Maybe she shouldn't risk it. Not that those videos will be viewed frequently; the guards on level sixteen could watch live feed and call up earlier recorded images but if no one had seen what had been happening this morning no one would know. No one but her and her General. Fumbling in the coats of her leather jacket, Sam found her keys and went back inside the house to get her stuff. Quickly flipping open her cell phone she called the SGC and asked if the General was still present. He was. Of course he was.

Doubt crept in, but she decided she just  _had_  to check those recordings from the gym, before someone found them and threw court martial at them for breaking the regs, while she never actually had him… Besides, the General was probably in his office or in his quarters, and security was on level sixteen. They wouldn't run into each other and after viewing the recordings, she could go back home or go to her own sleeping quarters on base, depending on what time it was.

It didn't take her long to get into her car and drive over to the mountain. The skeleton crew greeted her and she only needed one jerk of her head to clear the surveillance room. It was easier than she'd thought. She squirmed a bit in her chair as she watched the recordings, the feelings flooding her mind again but luckily it did look rather innocent. Like Daniel had said, it looked like they had been working out and if someone said the General's knee had been injured again it wasn't that strange he was sprawled on top of her. God, that had felt so good, to feel his weight on her with his hard erection brushing against her. Thrusting even when he'd been angered by Pete's scent on her. That had been so hot, to feel his muscles tighten and see jealousy and possessiveness swirl in his eyes. She had no doubt that he would have shown her exactly what she was missing out on by staying with Pete if Daniel hadn't interrupted them…

Sam jumped up when the tape ended and was a bit surprised to find herself still alone. She'd gotten all the time in the world to do whatever she pleased. For all they knew she was an infiltrating alien who came to erase the evidence of their arrival and those airmen had just let her in here! No, that wasn't right, she decided. It would be best to discuss this with the General.

"It's an urgent matter," she told herself. "I'll just check his office to see if he's still there and if not, I'll leave him a message." Satisfied with her plan, she nodded to herself and got up. It was in the best interest of the planet that they discuss this lack of proper security right away! Millions, no billions of lives could depend on it. "It has nothing to do with earlier today," she added, shaking her head to try and convince herself as she walked to the door. She just had to see him, that wasn't unusual. It was important, actually. With a final encouraging nod, she went into the corridor and walked towards the elevator. Her breathing already speeding up with anticipation…


	12. Chapter 12

Without thinking, Sam knocked on the door of the General's office and barged in.  _Only because it's important_ , she told herself. She frowned as she glanced around the room. Empty. Well, not empty as in the room was cleared out, after all the furniture – and paperwork – was still there. But the man she was looking for wasn't there.

She was well aware that it was already late – on a Sunday night – but the General had signed in earlier this evening after going out for a while. And when she'd called before getting here, they had told her he was still working so she found it hard to believe he'd gone to bed or something like that.

Not to mention the piles of paperwork were still covering his desk and the little desk lamp was still on, providing the only illumination in the room. His laptop seemed to be buried under the folders but there was a cup of coffee amidst the organized mess and his BDU jacket was hanging over the back of his chair. Leaning over, she could tell the cup was still half full so it was likely he was about to return.

Relieved, Sam relaxed her stance before glancing over her shoulder. The briefing room was dimly lit – as it was late in the evening – and also empty. With a small frown she took a step back to cast a glance down at the gate room, but there was no one there either. And she didn't hear the General's voice coming from the control room through the open staircase either. As a matter of fact, it was rather quiet around here, the only sound she heard was her rapidly beating heart. Her palms were sweaty too and she felt a little short of breath. Nerves, anticipation and excitement had gotten her all wound up and now he wasn't even here.

Gnawing her lip, she swiped her hands on her BDU pants and tried to calm her body by breathing in deeply. It only served to make her more aware of his smell lingering in the office. She wondered if perhaps she should go look for him, but figured he wouldn't have left his office at this time without finishing his coffee if it wasn't important. Besides, the base was pretty big and Walter had already left for the day so he wasn't keeping tabs on the General and that meant she'd have to look all by herself.

It was comfortable here, his scent familiar and despite the fact that the General was always bemoaning his fate and saying he wasn't cut out for this job or rank, the office exuded Jack O'Neill. Her eyes glanced over his desk and with a wicked little grin, she walked around it and lowered herself in the comfy chair. Her fingers slid under the desk surface and easily found the switch that controlled the security cameras in the general's office, no one needed to know she was sitting in the base commander's chair and if it was going to take him much longer to return she had to write him a note for his eyes only.

Every room had to be monitored because of their work and the possibility of alien invasions, but the base commander also dealt with a lot of top level security stuff and his phone calls with the President of the United States weren't intended for the security guys on level sixteen. So, she and Siler had implemented this system; she had made the separate server which stored the recordings of this office while he had made the adjustments to the system. No one else but the higher ups, the base commander and the base's second-in-command knew about it, other than her and Siler because they had made it. Now, she was the base's 2IC so it didn't matter that she already knew about it.

She leaned back in the chair with a soft sigh, which quickly turned into a low moan as her body relaxed against the comfortable leather and her nostrils filled with the General's unique scent. Taking a deep breath, Sam became even more aware of it with all his things surrounding her and his jacket hanging on the back of her chair. With a small smile, she let her hands caress the desk and she chuckled when she found a yoyo buried under the piles of paper. God, even the toy smelled like him and she could just imagine him playing with it, the little string wrapped around his lean fingers…

Feeling a shiver of arousal go through her body as she imagined his long fingers and caressed the toy, she quickly opened the top drawer and threw it in it. This was neither the time nor the place. Besides, she'd come here to discuss the serious security issue regarding the video surveillance room with him. Not to talk about what had happened earlier today. She pressed her thighs together when another flood of memories went through her mind, reminding her of what they'd done this morning and how good it had felt.

With a soft groan, Sam scratched her neck and shook her head. She didn't know what had come over her, what had made her act so out of character earlier. Sure, she'd been attracted to him for as long as she could remember; after all, he was a good-looking man and she was a healthy, passionate woman. But she'd hardly ever acted on it, and especially not this past year. She had a good relationship with Pete, they were engaged to be married and suddenly her desire for the General flared up again? What did that mean?

Was she having second thoughts, cold feet now that they were starting to plan the wedding? She had never gotten this far with Jonas after all, their relationship had ended long before they got to the planning stage. If she were honest, she wasn't even sure why she'd ever accepted the man's proposal.

Then she'd had her little crush on her CO, but eventually realized she was simply using him as her safe bet, to stop from getting hurt. So, she had started to look around a bit more, trying to let go of her inappropriate feelings for him and her brother had set her up with Pete. She was happy with Pete. Well, most of the time anyway. Every couple had their ups and downs, right? But God, lately her feelings were out of control. The General seemed to be haunting her dreams and now she'd started acting out on those feelings too! She'd practically begged him to take her, to have sex with her in the gym! And it had felt  _so_  good to have his weight resting on her, his hands roaming her body and his hips grinding against her… maybe it was that forbidden fruit thing? She couldn't have him, wasn't supposed to have feelings for him at all, so it had felt even better?

And what was the General thinking? True, she'd taken the initiative, but he'd never given her any indication he had strong feelings for her! Not since that zatarc test over four years ago. And even then he had kept it vague by saying he cared about her a lot more than he was supposed to. Sam just couldn't get over how good it had felt and how hard he'd been against her. She'd hardly done anything to spur him on up until the moment she'd become aware of his arousal. His hands, his body, his caresses… it had all reminded her of her dreams and even now, sitting here in his office she couldn't stop thinking about his wonderful hands with their long lean fingers.

God, she had to get out of here, she thought to herself when she felt her body react to her musings. Being surrounded by his stuff was only making things worse and she couldn't face him here, not when she was all flushed and confused. Besides, she'd already been waiting for over half an hour, she realized glancing at the clock. Grabbing a piece of paper, she absentmindedly jotted down that they had to talk. Folding the piece of paper several times with precision, she wrote his name on it and placed it on top of the pile of paperwork.

* * *

"You sure you're okay, Doc?" Jack asked again, narrowing his eyes at her.

Alisen Brightman nodded slowly, feeling slightly uncomfortable under the General's scrutiny. "I'm fine, Sir. It really wasn't necessary to call Doctor Fraiser."

"Ack!" he wagged his finger at Brightman. "Little Napoleon would have my head if she found out you were attacked and I didn't inform her-"

"Really Sir, it can hardly be described as an attack-"

Tipping her chin up with his finger, Jack held her gaze. "You wouldn't say that if you had been here earlier today; SSgt Davis didn't have two male nurses at her side when Ferretti assaulted her, you got off lucky Doc." He saw her swallow hard, knowing she was recalling the reports she'd been reading before she'd gone to give them another sedative. "Now, you better put some ice on that while you wait for the CMO to get here," he mumbled, taking in the rapidly forming bruise on her cheek. "And have her check your other injuries as well."

"Sir, he barely touched me," Alisen protested, rolling her eyes even though she was touched by his concern. She'd only been working here for a little while but had already seen enough things to make her head spin. Still, she didn't have any experience in the military before being approached by Doctor Fraiser for a position on her staff and all her friends had told her not to do it, because of all the hard-assed men she'd had to deal with. To her surprise, she hadn't encountered the type despite working with the Air Force, Marine Corps and all the scientists on this base. Not that she could tell any of her friends about the things she  _did_ encounter at work… "And with all due respect, I think I'm fairly capable of assessing the damage myself."

"Yeah, try telling Fraiser that," he chuckled, shaking his head. He was glad to see the young doctor was doing fine, though. It was his fault after all! He'd told security to let him know when Brightman checked in so he could fill her in before she started her nightshift as he'd told Fraiser to go home to spend the rest of the evening with Cassie – whom she'd hardly seen all week. Instead, his mind had been wandering to Carter, his dreams and what happened today as he'd been doing his paperwork. Then he'd startled by his phone ringing, which turned out to be security telling him that Doctor Brightman was on her way down. He'd hastily gotten up to intercept her, but by the time he'd gotten to her two male nurses had already saved her ass.

She'd only been a bit shaken up, which only proved how well she was fitting in already. But it also meant that he had to call in Fraiser and tell her about what happened. Of course the petite doctor insisted on coming over herself to make sure everything was alright. He'd probably get another speech about his men attacking her personnel and he so wasn't looking forward to it. There was a reason he avoided her and her big honking needles, after all! Still, he had to admit that he was responsible this time as he should have told security to hold Brightman there or send her to his office. She'd been reading the hastily written report from Doc Fraiser about SSgt Davis but that didn't say who had attacked the poor woman, when the loud cries of Ferretti and Warren had gotten her attention.

"Now, you stay here until Fraiser gets here or do I need to get some SFs?"

"No Sir, I promise I'll stay here," Alisen gave him a small smile.

Jack nodded. "Good. Take it easy, Doc," he added, before making his way to the corridor. He was glad she was okay. She was tough and her reaction to all this only cemented his belief that ol' Doc Fraiser had been right to hire her. At first he'd been a bit hesitant, the girl had hardly been out of med school and was probably another one of those prodigies, made in the same factory Carter, Daniel and Hailey came from if her age and intelligence was anything to go on. He'd have to check his files, but he was pretty sure the fresh-faced doctor was still only in her late twenties.

As he turned the corner and passed the isolation rooms where Ferretti and Warren were being kept, he grimaced and nodded to the SFs lining the hall. With a frown, his gaze lingered on the dark-haired woman coming towards him in the corridor, stepping up to resume her guarding position of one of the rooms. "Westerholm."

"Yes Sir?" Tracy glanced up at the base CO with curiosity. She hadn't really expected him to remember her name, even though he'd always been friendly to everyone when he'd still been a mere colonel. Still, he was the base commander now and they hardly ever spoke.

"You okay with this?" Jack asked, gesturing between her and the door. "I can understand if you would rather be placed somewhere else with everything that has been going on."

She swallowed, clenching her jaw. "Permission to speak freely, Sir?"

"Yeah, go ahead," he nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Tracy summoned her courage. "With all due respect, Sir, I am more than capable for my current assignment-"

"I didn't say you weren't, it's just that-"

"I'm a woman," she ground out, narrowing her eyes at him. She'd always thought he treated everyone with the same respect but apparently she was mistaken. "Sir, I have been working on this base since the beginning; I have more experience than most SFs based here, I have sufficient training and I am as good as any man here, Sir."

Jack gulped, suddenly feeling like he'd gone back in time eight years and was facing Carter again. He could only hope she wouldn't start lecturing him on reproductive organ systems… "Yeah, I know," he nodded, clearing his throat. He remembered the time she and the other women of this base had stuck their necks out when Hathor had come here and they'd ended up fighting their own men, in order to save the planet from Hathor's evil intentions. "I'm just saying that it would be understandable if you were a bit uncomfortable."

"With all due respect, Sir, I just saw Colonel Carter walking around base; she apparently doesn't need an escort, nor does the medical personnel. I have far more training in this type of situation than they do, Sir."

"I know," he held up his hands defensively. "Just wanted to make sure you were okay with this; I know you are also friends with SSgt Davis-"

"I wouldn't let my personal feelings cloud my judgment, Sir," Tracy replied curtly, squaring her shoulders.

Realizing she was determined, he simply nodded. "Fine, as you were," he waved his hand around and, with one last look to check if she was sure, he turned around to resume his path down the corridor. He simply didn't want any more of his women to be injured or assaulted. With a shrug to himself, he turned the corner to the staircase.  _Wait a minute, Carter is here?_  What the hell was she doing here at this time? He wasn't even sure if he was ready to see her. What would he tell her? Should he ask her what the hell she thought she was doing? He should probably start with apologizing for his behavior, even if she instigated the whole thing he was still the horny senior officer who happened to be the base commander and her direct superior.

Picking up the pace, he went down to his office. He needed to think this through before going to see her. His emotions were still too close to the surface and he wasn't sure if he could handle being alone with her now in that dimly-lit lab of hers, where she would no doubt be conducting some sort of experiment if she was actually here like SF Westerholm had said.

* * *

Sitting in her lab, Sam was going over the results of her latest experiment. But she couldn't focus, her thoughts returning to the General and the events earlier that day. She felt like a horrible person for betraying Pete like that and leading the General on… but it had felt  _so_  good. How could something that good be wrong?

With a sigh, she rested her head on her arms and her eyes immediately fell on the folder with her wedding stuff in it. With a grimace, she reached for it and opened it. One of the few things she hadn't looked into yet was her dress. Apparently that was very important, wearing the right dress. Even if you only wear it once in your life. She'd tentatively broached the subject with Janet, considering she was her best friend but even though she hadn't come right out and said it, Sam knew Janet didn't agree with her plans to marry Pete. Not that she knew the man that good, considering Janet hadn't really tried to get to know him and had brushed off Sam's attempt to get her over for dinner and stuff like that.

Absentmindedly scratching her neck, Sam rolled her shoulders, her hand slowly sliding down over the skin. She rubbed one of the fading scars on her shoulder, reminded of how Pete had asked her about it. About most of her scars. She also remembered him and Elaine suggesting she'd wear a dress or a veil that covered her upper back so her scars wouldn't show. Sam hadn't even thought of that, no longer really aware of them until someone pointed them out. Someone like Pete. He was surprised when she told him she didn't remember. It was true, she had absolutely no idea how it had gotten there or where its odd shape came from. Just because he could recall all of his two scars – one from a bullet that grazed his arm and another from a knife that grazed his stomach during a struggle with a thug – didn't mean she had great stories about how she had gotten hers. She didn't even know how many scars she had these days. Besides, it wasn't like she could actually tell him even if she did remember, considering she'd been mostly scar-free before joining the SGC. Some had even been healed by Jolinar, the usage of sarcophagi, being brought back from the dead etcetera, others hadn't even had time to form yet.

With a groan she closed the folder again. It was only upsetting her. She had already come to a decision about Elaine. She simply couldn't work with the woman and she had no idea how that wedding planner got any work done successfully. Hell, if she could plan missions to invade alien spaceships and blow up suns, she sure as hell could plan her own wedding. Now she just had to make sure Pete understood where she was coming from. After all, they'd almost had a fight about it earlier this evening before he'd gone home. She'd waited until he was in a good mood to bring it up. When she'd gotten home she was still highly aroused by what happened in the gym and had practically jumped him – not that he minded. Then, they'd stayed in bed a bit before getting a shower and he'd started dinner. Afterwards they'd watched one of his favorite movies and when the credits started rolling, she'd cautiously brought up Elaine and her work. It hadn't gone down too well and they'd argued about it. Then he'd mentioned he had to get going because he had an early start in the morning. Like she didn't; she actually made longer hours but she'd kept her mouth shut and simply said goodbye and waved him off before coming over here when she couldn't stop thinking about the tapes…

Sam frowned and glanced at the clock. It was late, she should go to bed. But she was afraid of having another one of those dreams and afraid of what they might mean. Everything in her head was so messed up right now that she couldn't even work out the data from her experiment! Maybe she should just pretend it never happened… ignore her feelings for the General again and hopefully they would go away again – and this time stay away. She probably shouldn't bring up the security issue either, because that would inevitably lead to that incident in the gym. Maybe, if she was lucky the General would just ignore the whole thing if she kept avoiding the issue. Suddenly she stood.

* * *

Jack strolled into the briefing room and stopped mid-step. Something was off. With a frown, he glanced around the darkened space and suddenly he knew; Carter. Her scent was hanging in the air. Cautiously he proceeded to his office, simultaneously hoping she wasn't there and that she would be there waiting for him. The smell of her was going straight to his head and he found himself standing in the middle of the briefing room with his eyes closed, simply inhaling that unique scent. It was mixed with something else, something he couldn't quite place… his ears pricked up when he heard someone come up the spiral stairs to his side. It was her, he could smell her before he even saw the dim light reflect on her blond locks.

"Sir," Sam gasped as she reached the top of the stairs. Damn him, why did he have to be here? She'd realized she should get back to his office and take back the piece of paper before he found it. Canting her head, she let her eyes roam over him. It didn't look like he'd already seen it, maybe she'd gotten here in time.

"Carter," he drawled, smirking at her. His eyes followed her as she quickly walked over to his office. Curious, he strode after her, wondering what his little Colonel was up to.

Focused on her mission, Sam smiled when she found the little piece of paper just like she left it. Leaning forward, she grabbed it but suddenly the General was standing behind her, his hand on the other side of the paper. "Sir-"

"Whatcha doing, Carter?"

She shuddered as his breath hit the back of her neck and her knees nearly buckled. He was standing so close she could feel the heat emanating from his body. "N-nothing Sir."

"Really?" Jack whispered in her ear, leaning in even closer until his chest was against her back. "Then you don't mind if I take a look at this?" He asked, tugging on the piece of paper clutched in her hand. He wasn't even sure why he was doing this as he'd just decided he didn't want to face her just yet. But it wasn't like he could run away from his own office and she smelled so good.

"It's nothing, Sir," Sam ground out through clenched teeth, not relinquishing her hold on the paper.

Turning his head slightly, he nuzzled her soft hairs. "But it's addressed to me, Carter, not you."

She glanced down, recognizing 'General' in her own handwriting. "I left it here-"

"For me?"

"Sir please," she gasped as his hot breath washed over her ear and he nuzzled the sensitive spot behind it. She wasn't even sure what she wanted from him, but his actions were wreaking havoc on her rational thinking process. Without volition, her head fell back against his shoulder, her face turning to his neck. "I already took care of it…"

"Of what?" He asked, tracing the rim of her ear with his nose and lips. Having her this close made him insane with want and need and Jack could barely keep himself from rubbing against her lovely six. As soon as he'd picked up her scent he'd felt himself grow hard and now the need for release was already burning through his body. He tugged on the paper in her hand, but she wouldn't budge. Groaning, he tried a different approach; placing his free hand flat on the desk on her other side, he used it to lean his weight on as he leaned even further forward, trying to use his superior height to pull the paper out of her reach. He wasn't really interested in more paperwork, but just the thought of her not wanting him to see it… of her simply leaving him a personal, handwritten message…

Sam groaned her protest when he pulled it further away and soon she found herself nearly sprawled over the desk with him standing right behind her. Being this close to him excited her and she could already feel his presence do its thing to drive her up the walls with need. "Oh, the damn recordings of the gym, for crying out loud!" She exclaimed, frustration getting to her.

"Nothing wrong with them, huh," he mumbled, nuzzling her neck slowly as he took a step forward, nearly brushing her rear with his hips. Even through his arousal he had already noticed the cameras were turned off and he could only imagine why she had done that earlier… "Vanilla," Jack said suddenly recognizing why she smelled differently. His tongue darted out to taste the soft skin of her neck, wondering if she tasted like it as well.

It was her new body lotion, Sam thought smugly until she felt his tongue against her neck. His touch nearly searing her skin and she almost jumped. "No, looked perfectly innocent," she replied, panting softly. Giving up, she let go of the paper and tried to stand up. Suddenly, she felt him pressing against her. She hadn't realized he'd stepped closer and now she couldn't get up without pressing into him.

"Samantha," Jack moaned as she brushed against his straining erection. Right now any kind of pressure against would be good, but her tantalizing and fleeting touches were setting him on fire. Parting his lips, he wet them with his tongue before pressing them against her pulse point.

"Sir," Sam gasped as he sucked on her skin, his tongue darting out every now and then. She moaned in the back of her throat when his teeth nipped the sensitive skin and pushed back against him. Needing more, needing for him to lose control as surely she was losing hers.

He thrust back against her six, the piece of paper falling from his hand as he brought it up to cup her breast. Through the fabric of her long sleeve he felt the lace of her bra as he kneaded the mound roughly, making her mew softly. Jack decided he liked that sound coming from and grabbed her hips with his free hand to pull her against him.

Bracing her hands on the desk, she rolled her hips, enjoying the sensations skittering through her body as his throbbing erection brushed the seam of her pants. She vaguely realized they were the perfect height for this, but as soon as his fingers started tugging on her nipple she lost the ability to think properly. "Sir, please," she begged, raising her hips so he could fit in the apex of her thighs.

Jack rubbed himself along the seam of her BDU pants, reveling in the way her legs started quivering as she tried to push back against him for more pressure. Reaching down her front, he grabbed the inside of her left thigh and pulled her legs wider to maximize the surface contact. With his other hand he continued to roll her hard nipple between his fingers, tug on it, squeeze and even pull it, evoking all kinds of soft sounds from her mouth. As he looked down, he could feel his cock twitch against her when he saw the lines of her thong under the fabric of her pants as he pushed her further forwards. Closing his eyes, he could feel her heat and wetness even through both their clothes and it made him want to tear them off her body. "Please what, Samantha?"

"Take me," she whispered blushing furiously, ashamed of her own needs. But she was so wet and it felt so right as he was pressed against her.

Inching his hand higher up leg, he nuzzled her neck again, inhaling her scent. "Take you how?" He demanded an answer as his hand moved to cup her. The crotch of her pants was already wet and her heated flesh nearly singed his hand through the fabric. She started grinding herself on his hand, his fingers quickly finding her clit and he pressed the seam of her pants onto it with his palm as the tips of his fingers brushed his own erection. "Like this?" He asked, increasing the pressure of his hand and thrusting against her ass with his cock. She'd been playing with his feelings for too long already, she certainly deserved to get fucked bent over his desk… but deep inside he wanted more than just a quick fuck.

"Don't care," Sam whimpered as he continued to tease her with both hands, her desire coiling low in her belly and she was nearly ready to burst. "I just need you…"

Jack pulled back from her and quickly swiveled her around on her feet before pushing her back on the desk. He was slightly surprised when she practically bent backwards, his mind already in overdrive over this newfound agility of hers… grabbing her hips, he lifted her and laid her back on the desk, on top of all the paperwork as he stepped between her thighs. One hand quickly slipped back to cup her, his fingers pressed against her clit eliciting a keening moan from her. He placed the other next to her head and leaned over her spread out body. His lips brushed hers and she was quick to grab his head, her mouth demanding entrance to his and soon their tongues were dueling.

She wrapped her legs around his thighs and ground herself against his crotch, reveling in the strength of his manhood as it pressed against her intimately. Turning her head slightly, Sam was able to nuzzle his hand and arm, her tongue darting out to taste his skin. She was becoming restless, feeling so alive with the passion fuelling her movements. "Please…"

Moving over her, he moved his hand from between her legs and slowly licked the tips of his fingers as she watched him. Her blush deepened as he reveled in the minimal taste he got. Lowering his upper body over her, he used that hand to hold her chin and held her gaze until their noses were almost touching. "You showered," he whispered nuzzling her cheek until he reached her hair. Then, moving lower, he inhaled her scent as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. "Smell like vanilla," Jack mumbled, his restless hips continuing to move against her.

Sam's hands moved over his strong back, massaging the muscles as she tried to pull him closer. She wanted to feel his weight on her, his chest crushing her breasts like this morning. Nuzzling his own tanned neck, she dug her nails into his back. "For you," she whispered, her voice a bit muffled as her lips were working on his skin.

Suddenly pulling back, he glared at her. His eyes dark as he loomed over her smaller body. "Because he touched you," he said in an even tone, trying to control his sudden rage. "You let him…" His voice, angered, trailed off as he reached down and pulled her into a sitting position. His hands traced down her sides until they were resting on her thighs, still wrapped around him as he was nestled between her legs. Clenching his jaw, he brushed against her one last time, making her moan and shudder with desire. "You think I'd be that desperate?"

"What?" Sam croaked, glancing up at him through heavy-lidded eyes.

"I don't share," he hissed at her, stepping back and pulling her off his desk.

"I want you," she cried out, as she tried to find her balance on her shaking legs and reached out to him.

Slapping her hands away from him, Jack glowered. "I saw you on the couch," he replied angrily. "Don't lie to me," he added in a whisper.

"I-"

"Get out," he made a dismissive wave with his hand, trying to control his urges. But damn it, he still had some pride left! Plopping down on his chair, he looked at her irritably. "Dismissed," he said, raising his brows in a silent question as to what she was still doing here.

"But-" Sam tried, but stopped herself by biting on her lip. He was already ignoring her, bent over his paperwork like he hadn't been about to fuck her on top of those a minute ago. Trembling, she turned around and opened the door.

As the door closed, he let out a sigh of relief. His hands were shaking with unrestrained anger and passion and his hard-on was nearly killing him, but he wasn't going to let her toy with him, damn it! She wasn't the one in control, he was; he was 'The Man' after all. He'd be damned if he let her break him like that.

Suddenly the phone on his desk rang, and he grabbed it. "What?" He barked into the receiver.

 _"General, I need you to get down here ASAP."_

"What happened Doc? Another attack? Who was it?"

He could hear the hesitancy in Fraiser's voice.  _"SF Westerholm, Sir."_

"Crap," he exclaimed, his mind still spinning with Samantha's scent all around him and everything that had just happened. What the hell was wrong with him anyway? Maybe it was time for a little chitchat with the Doc after this…


	13. Chapter 13

Realizing that in his current state of arousal, it would be painful to get out of his chair let alone go all the way up to the infirmary, Jack pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand, while pressing the heel of his other down on his erection after hanging up the phone. Groaning, he increased the pressure and started rubbing himself through his BDU pants. He knew it wouldn't take much; he'd already been close to coming just from grinding against Sama- _Carter_! Shaking his head, he tried to focus on what was important; Carter was his 2IC and nothing more, she remained engaged to that smarmy cop and he was needed in the infirmary.

Knowing that there was no way to hide his obvious arousal, not even with his BDU jacket that was still hanging over the back of his chair, he continued his ministrations and let his head fall back as he suppressed a groan. His palm and fingers expertly moved over the bulge in his pants, the fabric stretched to its limits over his crotch and slightly damp from Samantha and his own arousal. His throbbing erection was pressing almost painfully against the zipper of his pants, so with quick movements Jack unbuttoned them to give his hand better access to his aching flesh.

The zipper immediately lowered under the pressure, allowing him to reach inside his boxers to release himself. His turgid cock was throbbing with need, pre-cum already glistening on the head and swirling his thumb over it, he spread it around. With his eyes closed, Jack didn't have to work hard as the image of Samantha's wide blue eyes – clouded with arousal – begging him to take her appeared in his mind. How she'd lain sprawled over the desk, shamelessly offering herself to him. The images were flashing through his mind as his hand continued its caresses and soon reality merged with the erotic dreams he'd been having. Imagining it were her hands, her slender fingers with their short nails before she'd taken him inside of her. Her naked form as she straddled him, her perfect alabaster skin dotted with small freckles and a small sheen of sweat as she was riding him hard. The view he'd had of her bouncing breasts, a little mole on the inside of her left mound begging to be licked…

"Ah, fuck," he hissed, leaning to the side to open his bottom drawer and grabbing a tissue before he came all over his hand. Clenching his teeth, Jack grimaced, his nose scrunched up and eyes screwed close, as his release clawed at his spine. Brushing the tissue over the sensitive head of his cock, his hips jerked and he blew, catching his come with the tissue in a routine manner born out of years of lusting after Samantha…

Cleaning himself up, he tucked his now-flaccid cock back in his boxers and righted his clothes. Letting out a deep breath, Jack hung his head forward feeling slightly ashamed of his actions and absentmindedly licked his fingers after getting rid of the tissue. There was still a small wet spot on the crotch of his pants, but after standing and slipping into his BDU jacket he could easily hide it as he pulled the jacket down. "Crap," he mumbled, scratching his neck as he waited for his heart rate to slow down and his flushed cheeks to take on their normal coloring. Reaching under the desk he managed to flip the switch to turn back on the CCTV of his office, knowing he couldn't keep it offline for too long without a good reason. And he had no idea when Sama- _Carter_ , he chastised himself for not keeping a clear head… when Carter had turned them off.

Jack straightened and moved towards the door, heading for the infirmary to see what the hell was wrong on his base.

* * *

Suppressing a yawn, Daniel briskly walked through the corridors, one of his precious books on the Minoan culture held tightly in his hand. The late hour was finally catching up with him, but he knew he was close to finding what he needed to convince Jack to let them go back to P2X-913. Besides, it was nothing a good cup of coffee wouldn't cure, he thought to himself. He could sleep later, once he'd found what he was looking for in this book. He had almost forgotten about it, having it stashed in his base quarters because the bookshelves in his office were overflowing. But after going through most of his books about the Minoan culture and king Minos and not finding anything, he realized there were more books at his quarters since Jack had 'ordered' him to clean up his office a few months ago. Obviously his new function was going to his friend's head, as he'd been rubbing his hands in glee as he had given the 'order' in his second week as base commander.

Daniel frowned, promising himself that he would make sure to blame Jack  _after_  the mission to P2X-913 was done. After all, if he hadn't told him to clean up his office, he might have found something sooner. Smiling, Daniel decided that would be the best course of action as he continued down the hall for the elevator. The doors slid open silently, revealing a flushed Sam. "Sam! You'll never believe this; I was going over the notes from SG-6 and their recordings, trying to understand the culture of the natives on P2X-913 a bit better before we would visit the planet again and then-"

"Not now, Daniel," Sam groaned, brushing past him as she got out of the car, heading for her personal quarters.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, blinking owlishly at her odd behavior. "Wait a minute, what are  _you_  doing here? I thought you had the weekend off and Pete was visiting? Didn't you go home earlier this morning? Sam? Are you feeling alright, you look a little flushed… Sam?"

Swiveling on her feet, she glared at him. "I'm fine," she replied in a low tone. Seeing he was about to reply, she held up her hand. "Just a bit tired, okay? I came back in later today to talk to the General," she lied, feeling her cheeks heat up even more.

"Oh, how did that go?"

"Just peachy, Daniel," she mumbled, rolling her eyes. "I'm going to hit the sack," Sam motioned over her shoulder, not in the mood to listen to more of his rambling when she was wound this tight. She had been  _this_  close to having a fabulous orgasm, by the hands of Jack O'Neill before he'd rejected her and practically shoved her out of his office. She was still seething! How dare he? Reject  _her?_  He was hers and she wanted him, what more did he need to know?

Daniel nodded slowly, pursing his lips together. "You don't want to hear what I've found?"

"Tomorrow," she replied quickly, hearing the disappointment in his voice.

"Okay, I guess," he said with a small smile, holding the book in both hands against his stomach now. "You do look like you could use some sleep or something… I hope you're not coming down with something."

Well, she definitely wasn't  _coming_ , she thought frowning. "I'm fine, just tired," she repeated again, gnawing her lip. She'd planned a hasty retreat to her quarters, hoping not to run into anyone, which wouldn't be too hard considering the skeleton screw but of course Daniel had to be here. Shifting from one foot to the other, Sam was hoping he'd let it rest and let her leave already. Her panties were becoming a bit uncomfortable and she knew she'd been able to smell herself in the small enclosed space of the elevator. She was just hoping he or one of the SFs couldn't because that was not something she wanted to reach the grapevine. Tipping her chin upwards, she stealthily sniffed the air and frowned. "God Daniel, have you even showered today? Or changed clothes?"

"What?" Daniel stared at her. Bringing up his hand, he sniffed the sleeve of his BDU jacket. "I don't smell anything!"

Sam grimaced and took a step back. "Just hit the showers, please." Canting her head, she scratched her neck again. "I'm going…"

Reaching behind him, Daniel pressed the elevator button since the doors had already closed. "Sure, good night, Sam," he gave her small smile.

The doors opened and suddenly Major Johnson stormed out of the car, causing Daniel to stumble on his feet as he was pushed out of the way, losing his balance and his book.

"Hey," Daniel yelped, indignant and yet slightly cautious with the jarhead, leaning down with one hand resting against the wall to retrieve his  _expensive_  book from where it had dropped to the floor. Not that the jarhead would know anything about books, he probably couldn't even read…

Glaring at the major, Sam was slightly shocked to see him glaring back defiantly, his narrowed eyes taking her in from boots to the top of her head and she had to suppress a shudder at his scrutiny as his eyes darkened and his nostrils flared. "Watch where you're going,  _Major_ ," she huffed, straightening her posture.

Daniel watched bemused as the two officers were trying to stare each other down. He knew Johnson was an ass, as the marine had already proven earlier this week when kicking the crap out of Lieutenant Woeste, but was still surprised that he was openly defying Sam – who was a rank higher  _and_ the base's 2IC – and even seemed to  _leer_  at her! Daniel leaned against the wall, holding his book to his chest when Sam made a strange noise in the back of her throat, straightened and gave the jarhead a stern stare. Obviously the man had never served with Sam in the field, because he didn't back down, until she took a step forward – and Daniel could have sworn the corners of her lip curled up – and the man seemed to back down.

"Yes Ma'am," he replied slowly, seemingly taken a bit aback by her order.

Sam watched him back down and continued glaring. "Carry on," she practically growled, making a dismissive wave with her hand.

Daniel grimaced, watching the jarhead nod and move down the right corridor. "What do you think was that was all about?" He asked, as soon as he was sure Johnson was out of earshot.

"Beats me, maybe he was drunk," Sam shrugged, keeping her eye on the retreating back, not really caring  _why_  he was acting so… insubordinate, just irate that he was so disrespectful towards her. She'd actually felt chills run up and down her spine as the bulky Marine had given her a onceover and had been close to stepping up to him and attack him for his challenging attitude.

Looking at her, he furrowed his brows. "I don't know. Didn't quite seem like inebriation," Daniel replied. The major's odd behavior, dark glares between them and the fact that getting drunk on duty was prohibited, certainly didn't make that explanation seem plausible.

"I don't really care why, Daniel," Sam mumbled after a few seconds of trying to clear her head. Why were her thoughts straying all the time? "I guess I'm just too tired to care."

"Maybe," he nodded. "I should get back to work and then I'll get a shower," he added with a bashful grin. Pushing the button of the elevator again, he let out a frustrated sigh. "Never mind, I'll take the stairs. 'Night, Sam."

"Bye Daniel," she mumbled, barely acknowledging him, and turned on her heels, entering the left corridor to her quarters. With a couple of long strides, she found herself in front of the door and, fumbling in her pockets, grabbed her security card to open it. There was an audible click and she opened the door, stepped inside her quarters and, after closing it, leaned back against the cool surface of the door. She absentmindedly stuffed the card back in her BDU pockets and let out a deep sigh.

Looking down at her hands, Sam noticed they were still slightly trembling as she thought back to the events in the General's office. How could he reject her? No, how  _dare_  he reject her! She had submitted to him, offered herself for him to have his wicked way with her and after working her up, he dismissed her! Now her body was yearning for him. Not just anyone would do; her traitorous body and mind were aching for the release his touch, his body would bring her.

As she closed her eyes, simply thinking of him and what he'd been doing to her, her legs resumed their quivering. Her hips started rocking involuntarily as she imagined his weight on top of her, his hands roaming her body. Sam bit her lip to prevent a soft moan from escaping as she let her head fall back against the door.

His scent lingering around her made her mind spin, dreams and fantasies swirling through her mind as her core temperature started rising again. Pushing off from the door, she glanced around the dark room not bothering to turn on the light and walked towards the bed. With quick movements Sam undid her BDU pants and pulled her black long sleeve over her head, dropping it on the mattress. The cool air hitting her bare skin cooled her down somewhat, but her cheeks were still burning from the fire Jack O'Neill had ignited in her. Taking a deep breath, she sat down on her bed and untied her boots before pulling them and her socks off.

Her breath caught as her actions caused the crotch of her pants to brush over the small strip of fabric of her thong. Her underwear wasn't regulations but technically she wasn't on duty nor was she expected to go off-world, so she wore whatever she felt most comfortable – and maybe even attractive, knowing she was going to see the General – in. Biting her lip, Sam hesitantly trailed her fingers up her inner thigh following the seam of her BDU pants. She was slightly shocked as she felt the dampness when she reached the apex of her thighs and hissed when the seam pressed against her highly sensitive flesh.

Moving her fingers up and down the fabric experimentally, she let out a soft moan as the friction sent frissons of desire up her spine. Her movements became bolder as she closed her eyes, imagining it were the General's fingers rubbing her – or better yet, his hips grinding against her. Her own hips started rocking as her breathing grew labored. When she felt it was becoming too much, she placed her free hand behind her on the mattress and leaned back so she could slip her other hand inside her pants. The lace of her thong was soaked but rubbing the fabric against her overheated flesh felt incredible.

She could feel herself grow wetter, her hand trapped between her pants and underwear becoming slick with her juices as she picked up the pace. Her legs started trembling as she wiggled her fingers to reach deeper, circling her clit before dipping inside her opening. Knowing she needed more, Sam fell back on the mattress and used her now-free hand to cup her breast. She panted slightly and pulled the lacy cup of her bra down, wanting to imagine it were the General's fingers touching her bare breast, toying with the nipple until it was almost painful.

Focusing on the feel of his hands as they fondled her breasts with today's two encounters as well as the feelings she'd experienced in her dreams lately, she ignored the fact that he had rejected her only moments ago. With her new position, sprawled on the bed, there was more room for her hand to move against her aching flesh in the confines of her pants and she opened her legs a bit more so she could thrust a finger inside. Her hips nearly rocked off the bed as she imagined him with her, his long and lean fingers reaching inside her core. Thrusting roughly, twisting inside of her and pulling on her as she met him on each thrust.

"Sir," she moaned, her back arching as she twisted her nipple, sending jolts of pleasure straight to her clit. Using her thumb to brush the sensitive bundle of nerves as she kept up her ministrations, Sam felt the first ripples of her orgasm flow through her. Her inner muscles clenching around her fingers as she trashed on the bed, her cheek brushing over her earlier discarded shirt making her inhale his scent.

She groaned, her hips continuing to move as she reached her peak and went over the edge. "Yes!" She cried, burying her nose in the black long sleeve beside her. Slowly, it could have been minutes or hours because she was only aware of the peaceful satisfaction going coursing through her blood, she came down from her high.

Sam awkwardly retrieved her hand from between her thighs, the knuckles red and their skin irritated because of the friction with the dampened pants. Raising her hips, she pulled them and her thong down her legs and kicked them off not really caring where the clothing ended up on the floor. She leaned up slightly, so her other hand could undo the back clasp of her bra and shrugged the brassiere off, watching the straps slide down her arms before she lazily threw it to the other side of the room.

She knew she should clean herself up as she was still wet and a bit sweaty from her exertions, but she liked the idea of being limp and sated, smelling like him and bearing the results of her attraction for him as she went asleep. With an impish smile, she crawled under the covers once she was completely nude and grabbed her black shirt. Inhaling deeply she could smell him on the fabric, even their mingled scents if she closed her eyes. Sam pushed her pillow aside and, bunching up the long sleeve, rested her head on the black shirt as she fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

As he was walking up the stairs, Jack heard a familiar footfall a couple of steps ahead of him. Making sure to control his breathing, he started jogging up the stairs until he saw Daniel's figure moving slowly up the steps. "Daniel, what are you doing here?"

Surprised, Daniel grabbed the railing and peeked over his shoulder. "Jack!"

"Daniel," he repeated as he reached the same step. "Whatcha doing?"

"Oh, just had to get a book from my quarters," he gestured between the levels. "On my way back to my office to finish-"

Jack nodded and made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "Yeah, whatever," he interrupted him, grimacing. "What's that smell?"

"What?" Daniel yelped, balancing his book in one hand and pulling his BDU jacket up to his nose with the other to once again sniff the fabric. "I don't smell anything," he said defensively.

Scratching his neck, Jack just raised a brow. "Try leaving the mountain every once in a while, Danny-boy, it might help your circadian rhythm," he smirked as Daniel's eyes widened when he used the correct term. "It  _is_  the middle of the night, in case you haven't checked your watch lately. Don't make me have to check up on you and kick you out of your lab," he narrowed his eyes at him.

"Well, if you hadn't insisted I reorganized my books, I would be in bed already," Daniel argued. "Now I had to go through all my books before realizing this one was still in my quarters."

"I'm sure Carter would love to help you organize your books alphabetically, Space Monkey," he quipped as they continued to the upper levels. "In the morning, after you get some sleep and clean yourself up."

Daniel simply glared at him, refusing to argue about this with him. He was a grown man, he knew how to take care of himself! "You know, Jack," he decided to change the subject, "I actually just ran into Sam."

"Oh?" He tried in a casual manner, raising his brows innocently. "I thought she'd be home by now."

"I have no idea what she was doing here either…" Daniel mumbled to himself, pursing his lips. "She was acting a bit strange and seemed in a rush to get some sleep. Talking about strange, Major Johnson-"

"Yeah, whatever," Jack muttered, not really interested in the Marine. "Fraiser called and told me to come up," he added when they reached level twenty one.

He nodded in understanding. "Did something happen? Wait, what is Janet doing here? I thought Doctor Brightman was doing the nightshift?"

"Long story," he shrugged, not in the mood to explain.

Curious, Daniel decided that his research could wait a while and followed Jack to the infirmary.

"General O'Neill," Janet beckoned him from the other end of the corridor.

"Doc," Jack nodded at her. "What happened, how's Westerholm?"

Janet patiently waited until he and Daniel had reached her, since she wasn't about to yell the information he'd requested. "Sedated, Sir," she jerked her head towards the isolation room.

"That bad?" He winced, feeling his anger rise at the implication. He knew the women on base were as capable as the men, but still his instincts were to protect the females…

"Was she physically injured or was it just shock?" Daniel asked hopefully.

Janet's eyes widened as she looked up at both men. "She did the attacking, Sir."

"What?" Jack replied, confused and at the same time he saw Teal'c – carrying his staff weapon – enter the infirmary. "Whoa T, whatcha doing?"

"I needed three SFs to restrain TSgt Westerholm, Sir," she patiently explained.

Raising his brow, Teal'c bowed his head. "Doctor Fraiser requested my assistance in retrieving those who escaped confinement."

"Huh," was all Jack could say as his mind was trying to catch up. "You're saying Westerholm attacked someone and one of my men escaped isolation?"

Lowering her voice, Janet glanced at the three men before holding the General's gaze. "Westerholm was the one who opened the cell that held Major Johnson and he managed to free Colonel Ferretti and Major Warren too, Sir."

"But why?" Daniel asked in confusion. "I mean, what would she want with Johnson?"

"I believe her motives were similar to those of Colonel Ferretti and Major Warren when they assaulted the females," Teal'c intoned.

Resting her hand on General O'Neill's arm, Janet leaned closer. "Sir, I have no idea what's going on, but something is seriously wrong."

"You're telling me," he huffed. "So, Ferretti, Warren  _and_  Johnson escaped their cells?"

"Yes Sir, the SFs were trying to separate TSgt Westerholm and Major Johnson, but since she was… er, on top and most aggressive, they pulled her off and he managed to escape."

Jack nodded seriously and grabbed the phone hanging on the infirmary wall. "Teal'c, get a team together and round up some men to find those men," he ordered as he dialed security. "This is General O'Neill," he spoke as the phone was answered. "Initiate a Class One lockdown."

"Daniel Jackson, I believe your assistance could be beneficial in our search," Teal'c suggested formally. "I was able to track one of the men to the elevator, however he had already exited by the time we caught up."

"Oh! I saw Johnson! He was acting real weird," Daniel mentioned, recalling his earlier encounter with the Marine major. "He was on level twenty five, he practically pushed me out of the way when he came out of the car!"

Jack joined his two former teammates again after receiving an affirmative from security. "Ready?"

"You've had security shut down the facility, Sir?" Janet inquired, having overheard his phone call.

"Yeah," he nodded, "just so we can do a security sweep and get those men back to isolation. Then we're going to have a long talk about what the hell is going on here before we return to normal operations," Jack grimaced at the petite doctor.

Understanding, she ushered them out of her infirmary. "I expect to have their blood results back in a couple of hours," she mentioned as she glanced at the clock and did a mental calculation. "Doctor Brightman took a sample from SF Westerholm too and we've put a rush on it, so hopefully we'll have those back before noon."

"Alright," Jack replied slowly. "Move out, kids."


	14. Chapter 14

"Janet?"

Hearing her name softly spoken, she looked up from her paperwork. "Yes, Alisen?"

"Are you sure you don't want to go home?" Alisen Brightman asked kindly, stepping into the CMO's office as the woman beckoned her inside.

Rubbing her tired eyes, Janet shook her head. "My shift officially starts in…," she glanced at the clock and grimaced. "Less than four hours. By the time I get home and to bed, it's almost time to get up and get ready for work."

"But you must be exhausted; you've been working for days on end."

"I'm fine," she sighed, waving towards the empty chair for the young doctor to sit down.

Alisen bit the inside of her cheek, feeling a bit uncomfortable as she sat down. Wringing her hands together, she shyly looked up the doctor. "This was the first time in days that you actually went home… I-I guess I feel a bit guilty," she confessed.

"Why?" Janet questioned, honestly surprised. "It's not your fault you were attacked, Alisen," she tried to reassure the young woman, slightly leaning forwards on her desk. "If I hadn't left early, I could have informed you about the situation and none of this would have happened. If anyone is to blame, it's me."

"But General O'Neill ordered you to go home," she replied, frowning. "And if I had waited for him to-"

"Nonsense honey," Janet drawled, leaning back and making a dismissive wave with her hand. "Things happen… especially around here," she added when the realization struck her.

Alisen snorted, shaking her head. "You can say that again… I've only been here for a couple of months and already I have seen things I never thought imaginable. I mean, you think you're prepared when you have completed your residency and then…

"Then you come here," she finished with a soft chuckle. "Even now, after eight years of being the CMO here, incidents like these take me by surprise," Janet added wryly.

Nodding, Alisen shifted in her seat. "I can only imagine…"

"I'm just glad no one was seriously injured."

"Have you gotten the test results back yet?"

"No," Janet shook her head, tapping the files on her desk. "I was just updating TSgt Westerholm's file. I called down to the lab about an hour ago and the analyst on duty said he'd have them around oh six hundred."

Alisen peered over the desk, noting the file and shrugged. "That's a thick file," she mumbled. Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled. "I guess it won't be much longer then…"

"This? Considering she was here from the beginning of the program and all the foothold situations we've been through, I'd say her file is small compared to others who've been working here for eight years."

"I had no idea she'd been working here that long," she mumbled, rethinking her comment.

Janet nodded, a small grin on her face. "Yeah, I think she started out as a senior airman… in those days there weren't that many women on base. Well, that is until the Hathor-incident. Suddenly the higher ups decided we needed more women assigned to this base."

"I've heard about that," Alisen murmured, bobbing her head. "She was one of the women who helped save the men?"

"All the women on base helped save the base if not the planet," she confirmed. "Not even a dozen women."

Seeing the CMO was deep in thought, she let her eyes wander around. Spotting another file, she gestured towards it. "Is that Colonel Ferretti's file?"

"Certainly a lot more injuries," Janet commented. "Although some of these date back from before we started the program."

Alisen suddenly straightened up, remembering something. "I was going over your report on SSgt Davis' injuries when I went to check on him and Major Warren, but I have no idea what happened to it. The report, I mean and-"

"Calm down," she shushed her, grabbing her hand over the desk. "One of the nurses put it back after all the commotion was over… I'm just glad you weren't seriously injured."

"Like I told General O'Neill; he barely touched me," she was quick to reassure.

Canting her head. Janet gave her stern look. "You were lucky. Major Warren is a highly trained soldier and if not for the sedatives in his system and those nurses around, you wouldn't have been so lucky… if it had been Colonel Ferretti whose cell you opened first, there'd be no telling what would have happened," she shook her head, a grim expression on her face. "Don't get me wrong; they're both very capable soldiers, but Lou Ferretti has a past in black ops, like the General  _and_  he's been commanding SG-2 for the past eight years."

"I know," Alisen shuddered, still a bit shaken up over everything. "Major Warren is his 2IC, right?"

"Yeah, started out on SG-2 under Kawalsky and stayed there when Ferretti took over. I believe he was assigned to SG-3 for a while too, but after Colonel Reynolds took command of that team he went back to SG-3…"

Pursing her lips together, Alisen furrowed her brows. "So, he used to be on the same team with Major Johnson? Or hasn't he been assigned here for that long?"

"Oh no, Johnson has been on SG-3 since the beginning, when Makepeace was still… er, on our side," Janet replied. "He was still a lieutenant at the time, though… Oh my!"

"What?"

Jumping up from her chair, Janet gestured wildly. "I can't believe I missed that!"

"Missed what?" Alisen asked, following suit and standing up.

"The then-Lieutenant Johnson was one of my first patients here. He was one of the victims of the histaminolytic virus," she exclaimed, reaching for his file, knowing she had placed it somewhere on her desk.

Alisen racked her brain trying to understand what the CMO was referring to. "What virus? I haven't had time to go through all the base's viral outbreaks," she explained.

"Here," Janet nearly pushed the file in her hands, opened on the page with her first notes about the symptoms of the virus.

Quickly scanning the pages, she frowned. "Okay, highly contagious virus… feeds on histamines and neurotransmitters," she mumbled, turning another page. "Primitive regions of the brain… yeah, okay, that could describe what's happening now, but it says here that within hours there were physical changes as well; swelling of the brow ridge, new follicle growth… basically turning into primitive man. That's not what's happening now, is it?"

"Well, no…"

Alisen looked up from the file, meeting the doctor's concerned brown gaze. "I don't know, Janet. It says here you cured them with a mega dose of chlorpheniramine. And has SG-2 or SG-3 been off-world this past week? If it's so highly contagious wouldn't there be more victims?"

"Not sure," Janet admitted, shrugging. "I'd have to ask the General for their roster. But they  _are_  acting basically the same as they did back then; Johnson became extremely aggressive and tried to attack Teal'c."

"Brave man," she mumbled, continuing her reading.

She chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Even with all the testosterone in his blood he was no match for the Jaffa."

"You think that he was affected similarly this time?" Alisen asked as she went to the most recent notes about his altercation during a training exercise. "He didn't have that many injuries."

Janet rolled her eyes and let out a deep sigh. "You should have seen Lt Woeste, his sparring partner."

"Oh," she muttered, blushing slightly as she recalled the patient in the infirmary – he was in pretty bad shape, she just hadn't realized who he was.

"But what about Ferretti and Warren? I mean, they weren't just aggressive, they wanted to… to-"

Janet cleared her throat awkwardly, looking at the younger woman's shoulder. "Procreate. Yeah, that happened back then too. All primitive man needed was food, sleep, sex and his own territory – not necessarily in that order."

"If they all have the same thing, then what about TSgt Westerholm?  _She_  attacked Johnson for… um, some procreation."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Janet had to smother a chuckle with a hand against her mouth. "Ooh, that happened too."

"Really? Even with so few women around? Did they, you know, succeed?"

"Ah, let's not get into details right now," she brushed it off, not wanting to explain who exactly were involved in that situation. Not that Sam and O'Neill had been the only ones, but still…

Alisen shrugged, realizing that was all Janet was going to say about it. "Well, I guess we'll have to wait for the blood results then. But wouldn't this have shown up at their post-mission exams? And Westerholm doesn't even go off-world."

"Maybe someone in the lab overlooked it with the backlog and all the stress," Janet mused aloud. "She could have been infected through them."

"Would be very sloppy," she commented with a frown. "And why are they the only ones who are affected?"

"I have no idea, Alisen."

Closing the file and handing it back, she took a deep breath. "Okay, so we have to wait for the results to come back in before we can validate or nullify our hypothesis. And even then we'll have to wait and see if General O'Neill and the others can find them."

Raising an eyebrow, Janet looked at her. "Don't worry, they'll get them. They're sweeping the base in groups, level by level, section by section in cooperation with the security team on level sixteen, who are monitoring the CCTV. The security checkpoint on level eleven reported no one has been by since the three men escaped and SFs there are guarding the elevator. No one leaves until we have them."

"Okay," she mumbled pensively. "What about their behavior? I mean, besides the aggressiveness and libidinousness… is there anything that can help us?"

"There is," she smirked triumphantly, reaching for her phone. She pressed speed dial for the General's cell phone number.

" _O'Neill,_ " he barked after the phone rang twice.

"Sir, this is Fraiser. Doctor Brightman and I were discussing the situation and-"

" _Ack! I don't need the details, Doc,_ " he whispered down the line.

Janet twirled the cord of the phone with her fingers, wondering how to say it. "Sir, do you remember the histaminolytic virus?"

" _Huh?"_

"The Broca virus, the Touched, Land of Light and-"

" _Yeah_ ," he interrupted her.  _"Why?"_

She rolled her eyes at Alisen. "We think the men and Westerholm have contracted something similar, Sir."

" _What?"_

"Well, think about it! Their symptoms and behavior are very similar, Sir."

" _Crap_ ," he uttered, before a pause fell. She could swear she could hear him think over the phone.

"Sir?"

" _Just… thinking_ ," there a certain edge in his voice that Janet decided to ignore for now.  _"It's not one of my finest moments and I really rather forget."_

Janet nodded, even though he couldn't see her. "Yes Sir. Not surprising and with the amount of sedatives you all got, it's no wonder no one could recall anything."

" _Yeah, so… how does this help me right now, Doc?"_

"Sir, do you remember before you were affected by the virus?" She asked cautiously. "You know, after you brought Sam to the infirmary?" She didn't want to bring up the specifics – Sam's attempt to seduce him – in front of Alisen if she didn't have to.

The line was silent for a while, before she heard him let out a sigh.  _"Yeah?"_

"I told you about the behavior, Sir. How you were perceived as the Alpha male and there was a certain hierarchy."

" _Doc…"_

She could tell by his tone he was losing patience, so she forged ahead. "Johnson escaped after Westerholm attacked him and he let out the two others. Why would he do that? He actually took the time to open their rooms instead of getting away. Sir, correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Johnson working with Warren on SG-3 for a while?"

" _Yeah, a year or two, I think_ ," he replied slowly. Obviously this got him thinking.

"And Ferretti is Warren's CO, outranking both of them," she added.

" _They see him as their leader?"_

She shrugged, not sure about anything right now but it was the best she – and Alisen – could do for now. "At this moment we can only speculate on the nature of their motives, Sir, but I would say that's a fair bet. There's a good chance they'll be looking for the rest of their teams or-"

" _Prospective mates?"_

"Something like that, Sir," Janet grimaced.

" _I'm on level twenty-five, where Daniel last saw Johnson. I'll stop by Reynolds' quarters and the rest of SG-3. Thanks Doc, O'Neill out."_

* * *

 _His hands moved over her back, smoothing over the soft skin. The fingers spread wide, brushing her sides as his thumbs followed the delicate bumps of her fragile spine. He leaned forward, nuzzling the nape of her neck. Her shoulders were dusted with small freckles and he needed to taste them all. Taste all of her, mark the small dots as his – like the rest of her body. She belonged to him, they both knew it and it thrilled him that she was now here, writhing underneath him._

 _He was in complete control now and she acknowledged that, submitted to him as she tried to remain passive under his hands. They stopped when he reached her hips, his fingers digging into the already-marred flesh that bore his marks and his thumbs pressing into the small dimples on her lower back. "Up," he growled under his breath as he lifted her easily._

 _She obeyed him, pulling in her legs to position herself on all fours. He smirked, his hands sliding down lower, moving over her side to her abdomen and between her legs. She was still wet. Not as soaked as she'd been for him, but her sensitive flesh was still slick as he explored her folds with his fingers. He heard her whimper and she moved a bit, wiggling her ass. Taking it as an invitation, he straightened on his knees and grabbed her hips before he plunged inside of her._

 _Everything was happening so fast, it was all a blur and he was only aware of her tight hot flesh surrounding him. Her inner muscles contracting around him as he thrust in and out of her, slowly losing control as she whimpered, cried out and moaned. Every time he slammed into her wetness, she moved up the mattress. Growling, he grabbed her hips harder, keeping her in place for his delicious assault._

 _Suddenly his control was gone, his pace quickening as she went over the edge. Her inner muscles rippling around him, trying to milk him for everything he was worth. But it wasn't enough, he needed more; he'd waited too long and now he was so hard it was painful and he needed to come inside of her. Her body was so warm and tight as he continued to thrust into her, her fluttering muscles trying to pull him in. Grunting with effort, he slid his hand up her back, her warm skin already cooling under the sheen of sweat. He pushed down between her shoulder blades, his fingers wrapping around her neck to push her down on the woolen blanket._

 _Her cry was muffled by the fabric as he held her hips up with his other hand. The slight change in angle allowing him to reach even deeper inside of her. Growling, he pulled out of her, the cool air hitting his hard cock, a sharp contrast with her warmth. "Stay," he ordered gruffly, pushing her down for emphasis before reaching for her hips again. He repositioned her hips and legs somewhat, all the while keeping an eye on her blond head. She was obeying him, as she should, her arms pillowing her face with her ass in the air._

 _He looked down between them, his cock dark with need, throbbing and glistening with her juices so different from her alabaster skin and her wet flesh. "Mine," he mumbled, his nails digging into her hips as he thrust back inside her and pulled her back against him at the same time. She squeaked at the sudden assault, her muscles tightening before she relaxed around him. "Mine, Samantha," he whispered, pulling out of her and thrusting back inside, his eyes watching as he drove himself into her body._

 _She mumbled something of a reply, but he couldn't hear it because of the blanket and the blood coursing through his veins nearly deafening to him as he was caught up in sensations. His rhythm started faltering as his hips jerked, his release clawing at his spine…_

"Sir? General O'Neill? Don't make me pull out the big needles, Sir."

"Huh," Jack muttered, blinking furiously against the bright lights in the infirmary. "What happened, Doc?"

Janet looked at him, with a quizzed expression. "After the teams returned the men you said you'd wait here for me while I checked them back into their rooms…"

"I fell asleep," he grimaced as he reached the conclusion, trying to stealthily pull his BDU jacket down to hide his arousal.  _Damn dreams_. He hadn't slept in… forever and had hoped just closing his eyes for a few seconds would be enough.

"Yes Sir," she acknowledged, bobbing her head. "And I would have let you sleep some more as I know for a fact that you are sleep deprived."

Jack raised a brow at her, skeptically, before standing up, towering over her. "How's that, Doc?"

"You just fell asleep," Janet stated, hands on her hips. "In the infirmary, Sir. Usually that requires at least some medication or severe injuries, since you have neither…"

"Good point," he conceded, pulling a face as he dragged his hand through his hair. "So, everyone's settled in?"

She nodded and pointed over her shoulder towards Alisen Brightman, who was standing on the other side of the infirmary. "We got the preliminary blood results, Sir. You're not going to like it."

"Crap," Jack muttered, following the petite brunette as she made her way over to the young doctor. "That got here fast. How bad is it?"

"You slept for almost two hours, Sir," Alisen remarked softly, jerking her head towards the clock. Seeing the man's stunned expression as he checked his watch, she shrugged helplessly. "The men's hormone levels are definitely off the chart."

"Literally, in this case," Janet showed her CO one of the reports. "Testosterone levels are skyrocketing, hence their aggressive behavior."

Jack scrubbed his face with his hand, peeking at the paper. "Yeah, good thing we had zats."

"There are other chemicals that are affected," Alisen continued, handing the General another piece of paper.

"So, what's causing this?" He asked, not bothering to look at the paper. His eyes were burning, his body exhausted and aroused – he needed some undisturbed sleep. Suddenly he realized something.

Janet bit her lip, deep in thought. "Well, we don't know anything yet other than that their body chemicals are off-balance and their white blood cell count is high, which means they're probably fighting an infection."

"But is it related? There  _is_  a cold virus going around after all," Jack suggested, playing devil's advocate.

"I'd say it's a pretty big coincidence, Sir," she replied with a glare. "They rushed this, the rest will be here within two hours when the rest of the staff is here as well."

"Westerholm?"

Alisen shook her head. "We don't have her results yet, Sir. But it's probably pretty much the same if her behavior is any indication."

"Sir, why don't you get some shuteye while we wait for the results," Janet suggested, seeing him suppress a yawn. She knew she was tired and he'd been working longer hours than her. And by the way he'd just awoken, she doubted he'd gotten much rest during his sleep. The poor man looked startled and in distress when he'd woken up. "Do I have to make it an order?" She asked when he was about to protest.

Jack glared at her, before sighing theatrically. "Doc," he groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Well?"

Alisen almost jumped at the CMO's tone of voice and cautiously glanced at General O'Neill. He didn't seem too bothered with it, although he looked a bit pensive. "Sir?"

"I need a word, Doc," he looked at Fraiser.

"Sir-"

"Janet," Jack interrupted her impatiently.

Surprised by his use of her first name, she nodded slowly. "Alright Sir, only if you'll get some sleep afterwards."

"Yeah sure you betcha," he winked at her. "Your office?" he knew she was a bit taken aback by his request to talk to her, but the longer he thought about it the more it made sense; he had no idea what was happening on his base, but he sure as hell knew something was wrong. And he feared he was affected by it as well. How else could he have done what he'd done to Carter? Not once in eight years had he crossed the line… and now he was so easily tempted, his mind consumed with thoughts about her and he knew it was getting out of control.  _He_  was slowly losing control.

"Yes Sir," Janet replied softly, gesturing for him to take the lead. "Alisen, could you keep an eye out while I'm gone?"

"Of course," she smiled encouragingly.


	15. Chapter 15

Janet's frown deepened as the silence carried on. "Sir?" She inquired softly, watching her commander's lowered head.

"Doc?" Jack retorted, looking up at her from his seat across her desk.

Looking at the ballpoint he'd grabbed from her desk as he sat down and which he was now fiddling with as his hands lay in his lap, she gave him a stern glare. "You needed a word, Sir?"

"Ah," he mumbled, nodding slowly. Now that they were in her office, however, he didn't know how to start or what to say at all, really. Lowering his eyes, he grimaced and continued his fidgeting.

"Sir?" She watched him carefully, waiting until he would finally say something. She knew he wasn't much of a talker and very much a private person who didn't really reach out to others unless absolutely necessary. Janet could count the times he'd willingly come to her for help on one hand, like when he'd been experiencing frequent headaches that wouldn't go away, even though he didn't like big needles and could rival a child with his impatience and frustrating behavior during regular pre- or post-mission exams. Watching as he absentmindedly took her pen apart, she had to bite her tongue to stop herself from reprimanding her commanding officer.

"So," Jack drawled, leaning back as he tore his gaze away from the now destroyed pen. Frowning, he placed the pieces back on the CMO's desk and caught her piercing gaze. Damn, but that woman could be scary when she wanted to. "Doc, how bad is this… thing?"

Janet raised a brow and cocked her head to the side. "Well, Sir, like I said it depends on the other test results… but, considering the behavior of the affected people and the unknown source of infection, I'd say it can get ugly pretty fast."

"Crap," he muttered, scrubbing his hand over his face in frustration. "You think it's spreading?"

"You tell me, Sir," she replied softly. "You spoke to SF Westerholm hours before her behavior changed and she entered Johnson's cell."

Jack grimaced, drumming his fingers on his thigh as he recalled his earlier conversation with the technical sergeant. "Good point. But she wasn't in close contact with any of them, was she?"

Janet shook her head slowly. "No, not that I'm aware. She wasn't one of the SFs who apprehended the men and was stationed in the corridor of the isolation rooms, and because of their enhanced strength and aggressiveness only male SFs and nurses are used to subdue them. So she had only seen them through the window. But until we know what we're dealing with, a virus, bacteria or some other kind of alien influence we don't know how the infection is transferred and who is susceptible. Maybe Westerholm got it through one of the other SFs who isn't affected, or maybe that person has a delayed reaction."

"Basically we know nothing," he grumbled, frowning.

"Yes Sir," she admitted, shrugging helplessly.

Rubbing his tired eyes, Jack thought back to their radio conversation when he'd been after the three escaped men. "You thought this was similar to that Touched virus?" He rolled his eyes and made a dismissive wave with his hands when the doctor opened her mouth to once again reply she couldn't be certain until all the tests were completed. "Yeah, yeah, we don't know for certain yet, but you mentioned it on the radio and that told us how to find the escapees."

"True," Janet replied after a brief hesitation. "Doctor Brightman and I were discussing the similarities," she admitted. "I was going over the medical files while she was asking me some questions and I realized some of the behavior of these patients resembled the actions of those during that… incident."

"But there are differences as well?" He inquired, wincing slightly at the memory of reverting to primitive man. Luckily he didn't remember much of it like most people, but the reports filed by the few who'd been unaffected certainly didn't paint a rosy picture.

She pursed her lips together and nodded slowly. "There seem to be no physical changes this time and it doesn't seem to be as contagious, since we only have four infected people and back then almost the entire base was infected."

"Ah," Jack muttered. "That brow-thingy-"

"Swelling of the brow ridge, yes Sir. And the extra hair follicles and change in posture," she added.

He frowned, glad he couldn't remember  _that_  because he really wasn't into loads of facial hair. "But the behavior is similar?"

"Sort of," Janet confirmed. "The hormone levels in most patients were pretty similar to those of the men now."

"Making them aggressive and…"

She smiled as his voice trailed off and he was motioning his hand. "Libidinous, Sir," she supplied.

"Yeah, that," Jack grimaced, scratching his neck in discomfort.

"Sir," Janet sighed, wondering why he'd really wanted to talk to her, alone in her office. All this could have been discussed in front of Alisen in the infirmary.

He shifted on his seat, leaned back and pressed his fingers against each other in a steeple as his brows furrowed in concentration. "Doc, you're saying there is a dangerous virus or…" his scowl deepened as he waved a hand in the air, "whatever going around making my people act out of character." Jack gulped slightly in realization and looked her in the eye. "Now, call me paranoid but I don't really believe in coincidences."

"General?" She questioned, genuinely puzzled. "What coincidences?"

"A flu virus and this?"

"Cold virus," Janet corrected him.

He rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Fine, whatever. Either way, I've got two different kinds of infections going around base infecting my people? If I recall correctly you reported over thirty percent of personnel had already come to the infirmary complaining of that cold and half of them have actually called in sick."

"There about, Sir," she confirmed, not bothering to correct him on the percentage of affected people, which was actually higher.

"Wusses," he muttered under his breath. The people working here were the first line of defense against alien invasions and they called in sick over a cold! "You don't find that strange?"

Janet shrugged slightly. She'd already expressed her concern about the infection rate of the cold virus to her staff earlier this week. Normally they didn't deal with those, at least not with outbreaks of this size. And today she'd talked about it with Alisen, when it became clear the three men and SF Westerholm were fighting an infection as well. The blood results they'd gotten so far indicated that whatever was wrong with them was most likely caused by that infection, as that was the most logical explanation for their imbalanced body chemistry – although alien influence hadn't been ruled out yet. "These are close quarters, Sir," she replied hesitantly. "And it is the time of year. But you're right, it  _is_  somewhat of a coincidence for these events to take place simultaneously, which is why I ordered the extra tests to see exactly what we're dealing with."

"And you're not going to make any speculations until you have those results," Jack finished for her.

"Yes Sir." Cocking her head, she observed her commanding officer for a moment. He still seemed a bit troubled as he reached out and grabbed the earlier discarded parts of the pen he'd taken apart and resumed his fidgeting. Obviously there was more on his mind, as he normally would have left by now. "What are you really concerned about, Sir?"

He raised his brows in surprise, silently wondering how she'd seen right through him. When had the little Napoleonic power monger developed the ability to read him like a book? "You mean these situations aren't enough cause for concern?" He asked sarcastically.

"Of course they are," she admitted, nodding slowly. "You don't have to remind me of the ramifications if these things spread, either on base, top side or off-world, Sir."

Jack chuckled softly at her quick reply, which told him he wasn't fooling her at all. Turning serious, he braced his elbows on his thighs, continuing his fiddling with his hands hanging between his knees and took a deep breath. "Have you been able to deduce what the symptoms of their infection are?" he asked, jerking his head in the general direction of the isolation rooms on the level above. "How fast this has already spread and how many people might already be affected?"

"Sir," Janet said in a serious tone as she gave him a stern glare, willing him to look at her. "Is there something I should know?"

Scratching the back of his neck, he grimaced and glanced up at her. "I'm not feeling too hot, Doc."

"What are you saying, General?" She asked cautiously, leaning towards him on her desk. "You have reason to think you're affected by the same thing?"

"I-I'm not sure," he let out a deep sigh, struggling with the words. "I have this feeling I'm losing my cool."

"With all due respect, that doesn't really come as a surprise to… well, anyone who knows you, Sir," she replied frankly.

"No," Jack shook his head and straightened. "It feels like my self-control is slipping and that I have no control over what I'm doing."

Raising a brow, Janet pursed her lips together pensively. "In relation to…?"

"Everything," he admitted awkwardly. "I've come very close to bashing in some heads and taking my frustration out on people instead of the punching bag."

She held back a glib reply at hearing his intonation, knowing he was serious. "You're feeling more aggressive than usual?"

"Yeah," he nodded, recalling all the thoughts he'd had these past few days. How he'd seriously started contemplating ways to get rid of Shanahan, how he'd nearly assaulted several officers under his command, the times he felt like bashing Daniel's head into a wall… what he wanted to do to Carter, for betraying him.

Janet knew he'd been spending more time in the gym lately, but she'd suspected it was because of his lack of exercise now that he was flying a desk. Daniel had already informed her that General O'Neill had probably injured his knee again earlier today when he'd been sparring with Sam. In all the commotion she'd forgotten to ask the man about it, but it seemed fine now and he wasn't complaining… "Other symptoms, Sir?"

Jack shrugged, not really wanting to admit how he'd crossed the line with Carter today – more than once! "You think it's the same thing?"

"I can't tell you that based on this information. For a conclusive result, I'll have to get a sample of your blood," she added. "What about your sex drive, Sir?"

"There's nothing wrong with my sex drive, thank you very much," he practically growled at her, narrowing his eyes.

Unable to prevent a snort at his predictable answer, Janet coughed to try and cover it, before looking at him and locking gazes. "I didn't mean to imply anything, Sir, I was just inquiring if you happen to… feel more libidinous than usual, as it seems to be a symptom," she explained in her best doctor's tone.

"I don't know," he mumbled, dragging a hand through his hair. "Maybe it has… increased a bit lately."

"Is that also the reason why you're sleep deprived?" Janet questioned formally. Seeing him nod slowly, she squinted at him. "Sir, if this is caused by some sort of pathogen and you've been having unprotected sex, then you will need to contact your partners-"

"What, no!" Jack exclaimed, his head snapping up.

Holding up a hand defensively, she tried to argue her case. "If it's something alien it probably doesn't even matter if you've been having protected or unprotected sex and you'd still-"

"No sex," he interrupted her, feeling flushed.

"Sir?"

"Dreams, Doc, I've been having these… disturbing dreams, which don't allow me to feel well rested in the morning," he explained hastily. God, what did she think? That after being holed up in his office for the better part of the day doing paperwork, he'd visit the bars in town looking for a one night stand? Ha, if only his problem could be fixed like that! No, he couldn't really think of anyone besides Carter…

Janet nodded her understanding as she jotted down some notes, before giving him an apologetic smile. "I didn't mean to pry or imply anything, Sir." Hearing him grumble something she assumed was his acceptance, she forged on. "Disturbing how? Nightmares? Because we've had this discussion before and if you will just try these pills I suggested-"

"Erotic dreams," Jack mumbled softly, his cheeks now positively burning as he looked at a spot on the wall over her shoulder. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he shrugged and forced himself to look at her.

"How long has this been going on?"

"Couple of days," he shrugged again. "Nights," he corrected himself.

Her head snapped up and she glared at him. "And you've only just come to me with this, because…?"

"For crying out loud, Doc, every guy has such dreams every once in a while."

Refraining from commenting on that, Janet continued. "If that is true, then why mention them at all? Are they different? More intense perhaps," she suggested, seeing him squirm uncomfortably in the chair. This was a side of Jack O'Neill she hadn't seen yet and she tried to remain professional, but it was quite intriguing to watch him squirm.

"I guess they're more frequent," he replied softly. "At least once a night," he added at her inquiring look. "Maybe more intense as well. Either way, I don't get much rest and they're starting to distract me."

"The dreams themselves or your lack of sleep because of them?"

"The dreams," Jack admitted. "The images."

Leaning back in her chair, Janet took a moment to look at her notes. "After one of these dreams, do you simply wake up tired or exhausted? Or aroused, satisfied, frustrated…?"

"Any or all of the above," he grudgingly confessed, scrubbing his face in frustration and embarrassment.

She nodded, understanding that it was probably different each time. "Do these dreams make you more inclined to react on sexual impulses?"

"Look Doc, does this really matter?" Jack whined, trying to avoid having to give a straight answer. "They're erotic dreams that are driving me slowly insane, making me lose control – or maybe that's just the lack of sleep."

"Sir, you can either discuss this with me or I can send you to Doctor MacKenzie," Janet reminded him, knowing how much he hated shrinks. "So, do you act on them?"

Grumbling, he huffed at his defeat and glared at the petite doctor. "They're driving me insane, making me feel like I  _should_  act on them."

"Why?"

"I just have the urge to do so," he admitted, hanging his head. Why couldn't he have just been snaked? He'd probably prefer an extraction process to this conversation… "And lately it's been getting worse, interfering with my work… my life."

"How do they do that?"

Jack shrugged helplessly, still unwilling to confess his sins. "Sometimes something reminds me of them and I lose my concentration, can't stop thinking about them."

"During the day?" Janet questioned.

"Yeah."

"You feel these sexual urges  _and_  the aggressiveness during the day?"

Rolling his eyes, he nodded. "Yeah, didn't I just say that?"

"Look Sir, I'll be frank with you; I think you're right to be concerned. You're not assaulting people yet, but you have extreme self-control which I'm pretty sure can only be rivaled by Teal'c's," Janet said in a serious tone. "You're trained against brainwashing and for certain… situations, with your past in black ops and that has always come in handy for you when dealing with dangerous situations. When the Touched virus was spreading around base you were one of the last of the two teams who'd had first contact with the primitives on the planet to succumb. I was forced to give you several times the maximum allowed dosage of sedatives once you were affected. That might explain why you're showing some of the symptoms now as well, or maybe you just have a very good immune system, I don't know."

"Well, I don't really remember all that," he shrugged, somewhat thankful for not remembering going all primitive and kept locked up and sedated until they had found a cure.

"Considering the sedatives I gave you, I'm not surprised to hear that. But Sir, please think back; can you remember anything from that day?"

" _Carter!" Jack quickly donned his shirt. "Sorry, didn't know you were in here," he mumbled, frowning. She shouldn't be in here, since it was still the men's locker room._ _His brain short-circuited when suddenly her hands were in his nape, her nails scratching his neck and she pulled him towards her, her mouth pressed against his. "Mmmph!"_

" _I want you," she curtly informed him, pressing her soft body against his hard planes…_

"Bits and pieces, I guess," Jack admitted.

Janet nodded, biting her lip as she contemplated her next move. "Do you remember Sam? When she was infected?"

" _Why?" Jack mumbled in wonder as her tongue traced the contours of his mouth. God, that feels good, his befuddled mind thought. "I mean no," he protested, pushing her away once again realizing this was totally out of character for her._

"Ah… I remember seeing her in the locker room."

Narrowing her eyes at him, she scrutinized him. "From what you told me afterwards, she tried to… seduce you. You tried getting her to the infirmary."

" _It's about time you saw a doctor, Doctor," he told her, trying to remain professional as those mesmerizing blue orbs looked at him, almost pleading with him._

 _Jack tried to ignore them, her, but he couldn't help himself as she lay back and rocked her hips against his. The movement exposed the slender column of her neck and he quickly pressed his lips against the alabaster skin to taste her, before pulling her up off the floor. "C'mon Carter," he urged her as he hauled her up by her arms, holding her wrists tightly in one hand, keeping them pressed against his chest to immobilize her._

"Yeah," Jack grimaced as the memories filled his brain. She'd been wearing that sweet little tank top number, her hair all wild and those blue eyes clouded with arousal…

"Once Sam realized your intentions were, ah… different than hers," Janet awkwardly cleared her throat, now the one feeling embarrassed. "She struggled and got away. Luckily you and Teal'c found her after searching the lower levels, she'd fallen asleep somewhere with her clothes in tatters and… well, slightly worse for wear."

"We did?" he questioned, unable to remember something like that. Instead, he recalled her naked body on the mattress, several cuts and bruises on her back and Teal'c silently standing beside her.

Janet nodded again, trying to recall the events all those years ago. She'd been mostly holed up in the infirmary as slowly most of the personnel was affected, so she had to rely on the few people that seemed immune to bring the patients to her. "Yes, the two of you dressed her in some scrubs and brought her to the infirmary."

"Oh," he mumbled, closing his eyes briefly as the fleeting image of Teal'c kneeling down beside her with the scrubs in hand came to his mind's eye.

"She only woke up once we put her on a bed and then she started trashing around and I administered a sedative. Teal'c stayed with her waiting for it to take effect while I explained the situation to you and showed you the isolation rooms."

"I don't recall that," Jack replied.

"You were dragged in a little while later, after you punched Daniel in the control room because you felt a bit… possessive towards Sam," Janet explained patiently. "From that moment on your system was pumped with sedatives, so it's no wonder you don't remember much."

" _She's not yours to care about," Jack warned him, furious that the man showed an interest in what was_ his _._

" _What the hell are you talking about?"_

 _Obviously he wanted to act all innocent! "I'm talking about Samantha, you just stay away from her, okay?"_

" _Okay. Okay Jack. I think you should come with me to the infirmary, okay? Just let go of me and…let go of my arm!"_

 _Didn't he just warn him to stay away from_ his _Samantha? Now he wanted to go there? What, did he think he would fall for that? He obviously needed to show him his place! Fisting his hand, Jack took a swing and punched him in the face. Before Daniel could get up, he lunged forward…_

"Ah," he mumbled, clenching his fist at the memory. At least he'd shown Daniel his place. How dare he!

"Sir?"


	16. Chapter 16

"Hmm, what?" Jack mumbled absentmindedly, resting his chin on one hand while his other was still balled into a fist. The memory of his confrontation with Daniel seemed to play over and over in his head. Logically he knew it had been years ago, that he'd been under the influence of some alien virus and that he was now sitting in the CMO's office. Yet, his feelings were in turmoil. The rage he'd felt back then at the audacity of the younger man to try and steal Samantha away from him once again rearing its ugly head.

He'd always known he had a dark side but with years and experience he'd learned to control it. Back then, though, his control was gone. Without thinking twice after his warning, he'd pummeled the man he now called one of his best friends, showing him his place in the pack. As if Jack would let him take what was rightfully  _his_  and his alone! The intensity and enormity of those feelings made him scowl, clench his fists and jaw now, here in the present. It scared him a bit when he realized that would do it all over again if he could. That he was feeling just as possessive of Samantha right now as he had back then.

"General O'Neill?" Janet questioned again, watching him carefully. Only moments ago he'd been mortified, trying to explain what he meant as he fumbled for the right words. His tanned complexion had gotten a bit more color as he'd bashfully mentioned the dreams and he'd gotten completely embarrassed as their conversation continued. Due to her years in the profession she'd been able to keep a straight face and keep him talking, but she'd enjoyed seeing him squirm a bit for once.

Now though… He looked ready to pounce on someone as he stared off to the side, the muscles in his jaw moving silently as he clenched them. She swallowed convulsively as his fingers curled around the arm rest of his chair, his knuckles turning white as he seemed to retreat into his mind. Around here that wasn't such a strange phenomenon with all those bright people walking around, but it was hardly something Jack O'Neill did. He seemed to be deep in thought and although she didn't think him incapable of that – on the contrary, he had a great strategic mind – he never really showed it. His face was usually blank, a mask to hide his innermost thoughts and feelings. Now, those seemed to reach the surface as all kinds of emotions flickered over his face.

His entire demeanor seemed to morph into something… primal. Maybe reminding him of past events hadn't been such a good idea after all… she'd only tried to jog his memory a bit in the hopes that he could recall some of the things he'd gone through and had felt during the time most people on base were reverting to primitives, so he could compare it with what he was struggling with now and perhaps shed some light on what the hell was going on! "Sir?" She tried once more.

Jack's head snapped in her direction. Blinking twice, he quickly shook his head to get rid of all the thoughts. His short nails dug into his palm as he clenched his fist, the nails of his other hand almost digging into arm rest. The feelings helped him focus a bit. "Yeah?" His voice came out a bit strangled, so he cleared his throat and willed his tensed body to relax. Leaning back in the chair, he unclenched his fingers, flexing them before pressing the heel of his hands against his eyes. "Doc…"

She nodded, collecting her papers now that she was certain he was 'here' with her. "I guess this," she gestured towards him, indicating his previous behavior, "means it's time to get you to the infirmary."

"If you say so," he replied flippantly, feeling anything but.

"Just need to take a sample of your blood, Sir."

He grimaced, but rose from his chair and waited for her to lead the way.

Janet carefully tiptoed around him after walking around her desk, and made her way to the door. She was just being cautious. "Sir," she motioned for him to go first, lead the way and waited. "You need to focus."

"Yeah," Jack mumbled, grimacing as he past the petite doctor and scratched his neck. "I'm just so damned tired, Doc."

"I can help you with that, once we're done," she promised, although she knew he'd rather not take any medication. She couldn't blame him, she was just as cautious herself as most people around here – unless they were seriously injured. "I think a good night's sleep might help you more than you'd expect."

"What're you gonna do?" he glanced over to her, narrowing his eyes. "Zat me?"

She chuckled lightly, glad to see he seemed back to his old self already. From experience she knew he hated not being in control of a situation, so she could only imagine what it must be like for a man like him to feel his self-control slowly slipping away. Perhaps now that they had discussed everything and he knew their course of action, he was feeling more in control again. "No, Sir. Although it would knock you out for a while, I think you'd be more agitated after an hour or so. Simply something to help you sleep, without these… dreams of yours. Hopefully, you'll feel a lot more like your old self afterwards and we'll probably have your test results back then as well."

Jack mumbled his assent, hanging his head slightly. He didn't like being drugged up, especially not if he wasn't in mortal danger but he wasn't sure if he could stand another night filled with dreams. Especially not knowing the good doctor would probably want to keep an eye on him. God, he could just imagine having to stay in the infirmary while he was dreaming of Sama- _Carter_! "Arg," he mumbled, slapping his forehead to try and focus. It was Carter, not Sam or Samantha.

"Sir?" Janet questioned as they turned the corner, heading for the elevator and stairs.

"Nothing," he shook his head slowly. Crap, he definitely wasn't looking forward to staying in the infirmary overnight. Knowing what he knew about the affected men – and woman – he doubted Fraiser wouldn't strap him to the bed. Just what he needed! Okay, if he was honest with himself, it would probably be best. Although, if she  _was_  going to make sure he was knocked out…

"We might as well take the elevator, Sir," she said, hearing the car reach their level and stop as her CO was about to turn towards the staircase. Gesturing towards the doors, she stopped in front of them and waited for them to open.

Jack rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Fine." Might as well keep her on his good side, since she'd be handling the needles…

As the doors opened, Janet found herself face-to-face with Alisen Brightman and Daniel. "Alisen, isn't your shift supposed to end…," she glanced at her watch. "Oh! Half an hour ago."

"She has the test results," Daniel replied, before Doctor Brightman could answer. "Ah, sorry," he smiled sheepishly when both women frowned at him.

"I figured you wanted to see them right away," Alisen spoke up, handing over the folder. "I'm not sure if I'm interpreting these correctly," she continued, biting her lower lip. "You are the expert on exotic diseases…"

Frowning, Janet opened the file. She had personally handpicked Alisen Brightman to work with her at the SGC and she was well aware of the young woman's capabilities; she could most certainly interpret test results! "Let me see," she mumbled, stepping in the car with them. "Sir?" She called over her shoulder, almost forgetting about him.

"Jack?"

Hearing Daniel address him, Jack's head snapped up. He'd been rooted to the spot as the memory of that day in the control room went through his mind. The man thought he could fool him because of his superior intellect and snatch Samantha away from him, when she was vulnerable and sedated. Once they'd strapped her to the bed in the infirmary, he'd known he had to collect his cool and find a way out from them without alerting anyone. He'd gone to the control room, where Daniel had confronted him. "What?" he barked, glaring at him, as he tried to shake the flashback.

"You're coming with me to the infirmary, Sir," Janet replied in a no-nonsense tone.

"Why, is something wrong?" Daniel asked, concerned. "Jack?"

He reluctantly joined them and raised an eyebrow at the archeologist. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Well, I already showered," he rolled his eyes, reminded of Jack and Sam's comments. He thought they'd been overreacting at the time, but after he, Jack, Teal'c and some others had gone looking for the escaped men, he'd ended up all sweaty and he was sure Johnson had drooled on him. "And I slept for a couple of hours," Daniel added with a small smile. He'd been unable to stay in bed longer though, curious about the test results and wanting to go back to his research – which he had to abandon after Johnson's escape.

"I noticed," Jack mumbled, having given the man a quick onceover as he first laid eyes on him.

Janet looked up, momentarily confused with the strange conversation the two men were having as the elevator moved up to the infirmary before she recalled the General had told her that his sense of smell was better too. "Let's go," she murmured as the doors opened on level twenty-one. She closed the folder again, hardly having had the time to look over the results but she figured she could do it in the infirmary.

"Actually," Daniel continued, following the three people heading for the infirmary, "I was looking for you, Jack."

"Why?" He threw over his shoulder, fists still clenched at his sides.

Taking a couple of long strides, he caught up with him as they entered the infirmary. "Well, I just wanted to let you know that Sam wanted to take the morning off," he quickly informed him, happy to relay her message.

"What?" Jack growled, stopping to look at him.

"Jeez," Daniel chuckled uncomfortably. "She was just very tired and said she needed more sleep. She'd been up pretty late last night," he added with a small frown. He thought his reaction was odd, considering they weren't going on a mission and Sam didn't have any late reports nor was she working on a project at the moment. Sometimes he thought Jack – and the rest of the SGC – took her and all her work for granted. She never complained about staying late or coming back to base for some emergency after all!

"When?"

Blinking at him, he cocked his head. "What, when?"

"When did Carter tell you?" Jack replied through gritted teeth.

"Oh! Well, since I couldn't sleep, I figured I might as well go have some breakfast. So I went to Teal'c's quarters to see if maybe, you know, he wanted-"

"Daniel!"

He startled at the angry and impatient tone and unconsciously took a step back, exchanging puzzled glances with the two doctors who'd turned around to look at them. "I knocked on her door, because she told me she was staying on base last night and asked if she wanted to have breakfast. She sounded very sleepy and didn't even open the door," he mumbled. "I don't think she even got out of bed, just yelled it loud enough for me to hear."

"Why did you go see her?"

"I just told you! To have breakfast," Daniel explained in an exasperated tone.

"Why?"

"What, why?"

Jack narrowed his eyes at him and took a step closer. "Why did you want to have breakfast with her?"

"Um… because I like the company?" Daniel replied, although it sounded more like a question. "Okay, okay," he slowly admitted, holding up his hands defensively. "I was a bit worried about her because she was acting so strange last night and Teal'c and I have hardly spoken to her lately." He didn't think he needed to tell Jack that was because she was always busy planning the wedding or simply talking about it, which they didn't like all that much because they didn't like Pete. Not to mention that he felt for Jack – even though the man remained tight-lipped about his feelings over the whole thing – so he usually ate with him, knowing Sam didn't mind the alone time.

"She's not yours to worry about," he retorted, grabbing him by his BDU jacket, his earlier feelings rising to the surface again.

"Jack, let go," Daniel tried to pull away, suddenly having a horrible déjà vu as his mind went back seven years with Jack pouncing on him.

Quickly signaling some SFs from the corridor, Janet tried to intervene. "Sir! Sir, let go of him," she urged her CO, while keeping Alisen back with her arm.

"What?" Jack snapped, as two men tried to pull him off Daniel.

"General, I need you to come with me," Janet glared at him, waiting as realization seemed to dawn on him.

Clearing his head, he frowned and immediately let go off his friend. "Ah, sorry Danny-boy," he grimaced, scratching his neck.

"Jack, Janet," Daniel said slowly, shaking off the hands of the SF and waving them away now that he was free again. "What's going on?"

"I need to talk to General O'Neill alone for a moment," Janet replied curtly. "Alisen, do you mind staying a bit longer and inform the next shift about last night? And give our patients," she jerked her head towards the isolation rooms, "a new round of sedatives okay? Oh and tell the attending doctors I need a word with them about these test results."

"Of course not, I'll do it right away," she nodded with a smile and turned around.

Letting his curiosity getting the best of him, Daniel followed Janet and Jack. "Is it about the results? I mean what else can you and Jack… Oh! Jack, are you sick?"

"I won't speculate on such things until I can confirm them with an exam and additional blood work, Doctor Jackson," Janet retorted, steering the General towards an empty bed.

"It's okay, Doc," Jack waved away her concern, feeling a bit guilty about his behavior towards Daniel just now. "The Doc just needs some blood, Space Monkey," he said in a resigned manner, hopping on the bed and rolling up his sleeve. "What a great way to start the Monday morning," he muttered under his breath as Napoleon searched for a vein on his arm.

Daniel knew it had to be serious for Jack to just go along with it, not even objecting and whining about the needles. He wasn't even fidgeting with anything! "Oh, okay," he replied softly. "But Janet, you can't think Jack has whatever Johnson has, do you? I mean, he's just being… Jack."

"I can't go into details with you," she replied, not even looking up as she took a couple of blood samples.

"Okay," he mumbled, frowning. "What about the test results?" he asked, gesturing towards the folder she'd laid on the bed next to Jack.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Jack tried to focus. He was so tired from his lack of sleep… "Yeah, Doc, what's so strange Brightman can't figure it out?"

Janet let out a deep sigh as she finished up and labeled the tubes. "It looks like the cold virus has mutated rather quickly in all three men-"

"Wait, you're saying they got this over a  _cold_?" Jack exclaimed.

"No Sir, if you will let me finish…" She gave him a stern glare to which he nodded almost imperceptibly. "The mutated strand is reacting with a different pathogen in their system."

Dragging a hand through his hair, he looked between her and Daniel. "Two infections?"

"Wow, what are the odds," Daniel mumbled, crossing his arms pensively.

"Well, considering the effects of this interaction is causing similar symptoms to the Touched virus, I don't think it's quite such a coincidence," Janet mumbled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she finished up and reached for the file.

Glaring at her, Jack slowly stood up. "Didn't you get rid of that virus when you shot us up with those histamines?"

"Anti-histamines," Daniel corrected.

"I said similar, not the same," she replied patiently, although she wasn't quite convinced. "There is a chance, however, that the virus lay dormant and now this infection has reawakened it."

"Huh?"

Daniel bobbed his head, understanding where she was going. "A latent reaction!" He concluded, pushing up his glasses.

"Doc, are you telling me I'm gonna go caveman soon?" Jack inquired angrily. "Because I  _really_  didn't like that!"

"I can't tell yet, Sir," Janet replied, leafing through the analysis report. "There are similarities like the behavior, the hormone imbalance and it even seems this microparasite is producing a hormone that influences the primitive regions of the brain, like your enhanced smell, Sir."

"Oh great," he muttered. "Maybe I should order everyone to take a shower every eight hours or so," Jack complained.

Pursing his lips together, Daniel waved his finger. "Wait! If Jack tests positive for this parasite then that might be the way to detect other victims too!"

"What?"

"Enhanced smell," he repeated.

"Well, I can't confirm or deny that until these are tested," Janet mentioned, holding up the blood samples. "None of the others have complained about their sense of smell, so there's a good chance it's not full proof. And some people just have a better sense of smell than others. For women it also depends on their menstrual cycle," she added.

Nodding slowly, Jack concentrated at the problem at hand. "So, these pathogens together are bad… then why doesn't everyone with the cold virus develop these symptoms?"

"The strains seem to be selective, but I don't know what for," she sighed. "Either way, we can't risk it spreading."

"What are we dealing with exactly, Doc?'

Janet shrugged slightly, before looking up at her CO. "I will need more blood samples from those that are positive for these strains and it needs to be cultured in the lab so that we-"

"Ack!"

Rubbing her forehead, she took a deep breath. "A selective pathogenic virus that affects the brain and body chemistry, Sir. But we don't know how it's transferred and I can't say who's susceptible and who isn't."

"Okay, full base quarantine," he nodded.

"I need blood work on  _all_  present personnel, Sir."

Clearing his throat uncomfortably, Daniel drew their attention to him. "Um… what if it's already spread? We don't know who brought this virus here – I am assuming it's alien, right?"

"Yes," Janet nodded. "We suspected the cold virus was just from Earth, but now I'm not so sure… either way, it's the other strain that's more dangerous. All three men that have the latter also have the first, but no one that came to the infirmary with a cold virus had the latter."

"Code Five lockdown after recalling my men to base?"

She shook her head vehemently. "No Sir, we can't risk infecting those who weren't infected in the first place. Call a Code Five for base lockdown, contact Doctor Kelly at the Academy hospital and send all the personnel not residing in the mountain as of this moment to her for further tests."

"What about off-world teams?" Daniel inquired, slightly worried that they'd spread it around the galaxy already.

"Um… well, considering the rate of infection, I'd say recall everyone who left in the past week before calling a Code Five. The rest of the teams will have to take their own samples and send them through and can report to the Alpha Site," Janet summed up.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Jack grimaced at them. "Doc, call your staff together. Looks like the nightshift isn't leaving after all and you can use all the help you can get if you have to test the entire base."

"Yes Sir," she nodded.

"We should probably send the people through in batches as to no overcrowd the infirmary and staff, I'll make a roster," Daniel offered and practically ran off to get started.

Jack sighed, suddenly feeling tired again. "I'll contact Hammond and then you can lock me up in an isolation room, Doc."

"I don't know if that is such a good idea, Sir," Janet said cautiously. "We need someone in command and-"

"Carter," he replied instantly.

"She's exhausted, Sir. I need you to inform your men, get the off-world teams back and then you need to rest."

"In the isolation room," Jack insisted, not wanting to take a chance.

Gathering her things, Janet looked at him. "We're not even sure if you  _are_  infected, Sir."

"Better safe than sorry," he replied, knowing she didn't believe it either. "After I inform everyone, I'll come back and Carter – or Reynolds – will be in charge. If not, then I guess it's up to you to, Doc."

"I'll inform General Hammond, Sir," Janet replied, knowing he was right; if Sam and Reynolds weren't capable of taking command, she was probably one of the few present who could. She'd have to talk to General Hammond about that, after all, she'd promised to keep him abreast if something was going on and he was the director of Homeworld Security. "Sir?"

"Yeah?"

Thinking on her feet, she gave him a small smile. "Your personal quarters can be locked from the outside as well. They're much more comfortable than the isolation rooms and since we don't know you're infected yet…"

"Doc-"

"You'll be asleep, Sir," she interrupted him. "Might as well do that in your comfortable bed instead of the isolation room. Doctor's orders."

"Fine," he relented. His bed  _was_  more comfortable and she was right; they could just take his card from him and change the lock's mechanism so he couldn't get out. As CMO Fraiser could already override the security system with her card, since medical help could be required at any time anywhere so they just had to lock him and everyone else out.

"My nurses will be pleased that you won't be here to bother them," Janet joked, giving him a small smile.

Jack rolled his eyes and motioned to the exit. "I'll go to the control room."

"Yes Sir," she nodded.

He quickly strode off and within minutes he was in the control room giving instructions. "All the teams who left last week are recalled immediately to get tested. The other teams need to contact the Alpha Site and send their blood samples for analysis. Daniel is making a roster for all personnel to visit the infirmary. Redirect all topside base personnel to the Academy hospital and contact Doctor Kelly – she and Fraiser will coordinate this."

"Yes Sir," Walter nodded as he made some notes. It sure was a different way to start the week! "Base lockdown?"

"Code Five," Jack confirmed. "Anyone who tries to leave the mountain will be shot on sight and the body burned," he added despondently.

Swallowing hard, he made the final notes. "Yes Sir." Perhaps it wasn't such a good start after all…

"Contact the CMO if you have further questions," he added. "I'll be in my quarters, doctor's orders. Oh, Siler, you're with me for now," With that, Jack turned and left for the infirmary again. Once there, Doctor Brightman escorted him up to his room and administered the sedative while Siler changed the security system for his quarters.

* * *

After a quick shower and some overdue thinking, Sam slipped into a spare set of BDUs and walked back to her room. It was surprisingly quiet in the corridors, but she didn't care. She needed to see the General. She knew she probably shouldn't, but it couldn't hurt to stop by his quarters and see if he was in, right? He'd been up late last night as well so he was probably trying to get some shuteye now.

Once she was in her quarters she rummaged around her closet for some proper clothes and took off her heavy boots. She was all warmed up from the shower and her cheeks were burning at the thought of seeing the General again after what happened last night. With a sigh, she took off the BDUs and changed. After combing her hair and a last glance in the mirror, she opened the door and before she knew it her sock-clad feet were padding over to his quarters.


	17. Chapter 17

Sam cautiously turned the corner and was pleased to see two SFs were just leaving the corridor. Her sensitive nose caught a whiff of some sort of soup making her stomach rumble. Only then did she realize she hadn't eaten anything all day; it had been hours ago when Daniel had awoken her from a very pleasant dream, so it must be past lunch already! Ignoring her stomach's needs, Sam decided she had more pressing matters for now. She could always find something to eat once she was done. Following her instincts, she made quick work of the last few feet to the General's quarters.

His manly scent was lingering in the air when she found herself in front of the door. Now her other, more pressing needs re-surfaced since waking from her dreams. Placing her hands flat against the door, she closed her eyes and rested her head against it. She could still smell him, but, more importantly, she thought she could hear him behind the door. Biting her lip, she pressed her ear against the cool surface but the material was too solid and thick for her hearing.

Somehow, though, she  _knew_  he was there, waiting for her. Something was tugging at her to come here. She'd known she needed to be here the moment her mind had been made up. It still puzzled her that the solution to her inner turmoil had eluded her for so long.  _No more though_ , Sam thought as she straightened and tried the door's handle. It didn't budge, the door was obviously locked. Huffing a breath of frustration, her body tensed as she kept herself from lashing out against the barrier.

She could do this, damn it. She had made up her mind, after all. Now she just had to follow through and this damned door was between her and her objective. Rubbing a hand over her forehead in frustration, she tried to calm herself. Collect her thoughts and relax. An access card! Patting down her pockets, she frowned when she realized she hadn't taken it with her. She shook her head in denial; this wasn't going to stop her. Besides, where could she go without the card? She would have to remain in the corridors of this level! Grabbing her head with both hands, Sam pulled on the blonde strands of hair in frustration.

"Focus," she murmured to herself. Flashes went through her mind before her head snapped up, her eyes gleaming with understanding. She was a good lock picker and if she could get herself out of various alien holding cells, she could damn well get herself into this room! With renewed determination and focus, her hands went for the card reader. Her eyebrows shot up when she managed to pull its casing off with a flick of her wrist. Obviously she hadn't realized her own strength! Smirking, Sam's fingers went for the small wires as she narrowed her eyes in concentration.

Her head snapped up when she heard the footfall of military boots nearing her position. Afraid that she might be caught, she leaned closer and used her teeth to nibble on the insulating material. Within seconds she managed to connect the right wires and heard a soft  _click_. Her hand eagerly shot out and tried the door's handle again. Her lips curled up in an animalistic grin, feeling victorious as the door opened. Using her other hand, she pulled out the rest of the wires, short-circuiting the card reader. She hissed when she got a shock through her hand and quickly slipped into the room as the booted feet sounded nearer.

There he was, lying in the bed. She gnawed her lip as she closed the door behind her and leaned against it. He was asleep, which wasn't part of her plan at all. Resting the back of her head against the door, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. His presence and scent immediately calmed her nerves. Her mind and body had been aching for him; his presence, his touch, anything! She just hadn't realized how badly she needed him up until now. Simply being alone with him was soothing for her soul.

Her heart was still pounding though, in anticipation and longing. She couldn't wait to touch him, taste him, and feel his hands on her… It was as if her body was craving him; it thrilled her. Somehow, the feeling even seemed familiar although she knew she'd never felt like this about someone before. The feeling was fleeting and continued to elude her – so she ignored it. Observing his sleeping features fuelled the desire coursing through her body. He was such a handsome male, so strong, powerful and all _hers_. They were safe from intruders and interruptions here. No one was going to take him away from her and she wouldn't let him reject her again! He wanted her, she knew he did. And he belonged to her, damn it!

She was starting to worry though. He was still sleeping, while he'd normally be much more vigilant – even while sleeping – and had hardly stirred. With a few steps she was by his side, touching his cheek and bare chest with her hands. Feeling the sparse chest hair and his slightly stubbled jaw under her fingers combined with the silent power he exuded even while asleep, elicited a soft moan from her mouth. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips and she quickly stepped back when his cheek leaned into her touch.

Turning around, Sam undid her pants with quick movements and threw them over a chair. Her socks followed shortly after and her hands just started undoing her long sleeve button-up, when she heard a change in his breathing followed by a rustling sound behind her. Her head whipped around to investigate, but suddenly two strong arms wrapped around her waist, immobilizing her hands. "Sir," she gasped as he pulled her against his chest, not allowing her an inch of movement.

"What'cha doing here, Carter?" Jack questioned in a hoarse tone.

His words so close to her ear, ruffling her hair, his throaty voice and simply the feel of him around and against her, made her close her eyes. Her head fell back against his shoulder as she tried to focus all her senses on  _him_.

"Carter," he hissed, shaking her in his arms, "I asked you a question."

"I want you," she murmured in a low tone. Looking up at his profile from underneath her lashes, she gave him a slow smile. "Why else would I be here?"

A shiver ran down his spine as her breath hit his neck and he fought to remain impassive. He'd already come to the same conclusion, seeing as she was wearing nothing but a pair of blue boxers and her shirt at the moment. It was quite a sight as he woke; watching her back as she undressed herself, seeing those long legs from delicious six to toes. Although slightly unsteady from the earlier sedation, he'd stealthily stood to grab her. Despite the Doc's promise, he'd been dreaming of Carter again and then waking up – aroused – to find her here with him in his quarters… "This is a little out of line, Carter," he warned her, as his body continued to react to holding her in his arms. The fabric of her shirt felt oddly comforting against his chest, but her round, boxer-clad six was worryingly close to his growing erection.

Her body was already humming with the need for  _more_ , her breasts heavy and aching as she pressed her thighs together. Sam felt his hold loosen for a moment in response and managed to wriggle out of it, despite enjoying being so close to him. Once on her own two feet again, she swiveled around to face him. Unprepared, he was acting much faster than a just-awoken person should and pressed her against the wall before she could do a thing. "Sir," she moaned again, not even sure herself if she was actually protesting or not as she moved her hips against him. She could feel him brush against her, he was hard already and she needed him so much…

"Carter," he groaned, trying to ignore the pleasurable feelings her grinding elicited. Jack looked away as her blue orbs looked at him with blatant need and her pink little tongue peeked out to wet her lips. He bit his lip as he lowered his head and suddenly found himself staring down her shirt. Her wiggling had caused the shirt – with only the three lowest buttons still closed – to fall open and revealed her full breasts, encased in a black bra.

Dipping her head forward, Sam brushed her lips against his ear. "Jack," she whispered, thrusting her breast forwards and continuing to rub herself against him, all caught up in the feel of him. She unabashedly offered herself to him with heavy-lidded eyes. "I want you," she murmured, her tongue darting out to trace his ear. He growled, hiding his face in her neck and thrust his hard-on against her, making her gasp in response. It felt so good… Wrapping both arms around his neck, she pulled herself up and wrapped her legs around him, opening herself even further as she continued her grinding.

A jolt of pleasure was sent down to his groin as she whispered his name. Hearing her whisper was almost like an aphrodisiac and spurred him on to let go of his inhibitions and just take what she was offering. One of his hands slid down her back, cupping her six to keep her pressed against him for his thrusts, while his other grabbed her chin.

"Want you," Sam moaned, before catching his lips with her own. Swallowing his protest, she rammed her tongue in his mouth, simply taking what she wanted.

He couldn't hold back and tangled her tongue with his, exploring her hot mouth as his hand did a recon of her body. Finding a full breast, he cupped it and kneaded the bra-covered flesh roughly. Jack broke off the kiss and stared at her swollen lips and closed eyes. " _Samantha_ ," he mumbled, flicking his thumb over a taut nipple, making her moan aloud.

"Please," she begged, pressing herself against him, knowing victory was close as he was caving and his hands were doing marvelous things to her body.

Looking down at his hand as it caressed her, he stopped and frowned. His eyes glaring at the dog tags around her neck as they caught the shimmering of the ring hanging on the ball chain. "What's this?" He growled, using his body to push her harder against the wall and holding the offending item up for her to see with one hand.

* * *

Janet looked up when she saw Daniel and Teal'c enter the infirmary. Frowning, she glanced at the clock and checked the roster. "Gentlemen, SG-1 isn't supposed to be here unt-"

"Yeah, we know," Daniel interrupted her, his brows knitted together as he glanced at Teal'c.

"Is something wrong?"

Teal'c raised a brow at the two Tau'ri. "Indeed, I have captured Chief Master Sergeant Harriman and placed him in an isolation room."

"What?" Janet exclaimed.

Daniel grimaced and pointed over his shoulder. "He assaulted Lieutenant Evans, she's with Doctor Brightman now."

She nodded her understanding, worried about her assaulted nurse and glad that Alisen was forced to stay here now that the base was in lockdown. "All right, I guess that makes today's total four more probable cases."

"Indeed. I shall confer with Colonel Reynolds to see if my assistance is required," Teal'c informed them.

"What about Sam?" Janet asked the archeologist after the Jaffa bowed his head and left.

Daniel shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't know, I haven't seen her all day. All the off-world teams have returned but Reynolds has been overseeing it. I figured Sam was still asleep or otherwise occupied when I went by her quarters for lunch."

"She didn't answer?"

"No," he shook his head. "Does she seem a bit off to you too? I mean, not like them," he gestured towards the iso rooms. "Just preoccupied and if I didn't know any better, I'd think she was avoiding me or just people in general."

Finishing her notes, Janet looked up at him. "I'm not sure. I think the wedding and everything is getting to her."

"Why?"

"Just a bit much to deal with next to her job and we kind of had an argument about it," she shrugged, trying to make it sound less bad. At least to her, because she'd just been honest with her friend and Sam hadn't liked her answer.

Intrigued, Daniel crossed his arms and leaned closer. "About?"

"Pete," she replied sourly.

"What did you say?" He asked cautiously; he knew she didn't like him, just like most of Sam's friends here on base, but Janet was usually a bit more diplomatic about things like that.

Putting away the chart, she frowned. "I'm not sure, exactly. We were just talking over lunch and she was, what I perceived as expressing doubts. So I asked her if she was sure about this, if this was what she really wanted."

"Yeah?"

"She mentioned a few things and then started summing up why she should marry Pete. Honestly Daniel, I tried to refrain from commenting but when she was talking about his better qualities and how he was kind, gentle and loyal, I blurted out that she sounded like Cassie when she was talking about her dog."

Stifling a snicker, he grinned. "Then what happened?"

"General O'Neill joined us and asked what was up with Cassie's dog," she shook her head. It had been very awkward, so she'd excused herself saying she had to make rounds on her patients. "Anyway, Sam wasn't very happy with my response and hasn't really talked all that much to me since."

"When was that?" Daniel questioned, a bit shocked that he hadn't realized something was wrong between the two friends.

"A few days ago, before your mission last week. I guess it gave her some time to think about it, because she was acting rather normal when she got back, just too busy to really talk about it," she explained with a small shrug.

He nodded in understanding. "I know, me too. That's why I was so surprised she was at the base this weekend."

"That's Sam," Janet mumbled. "Oh, there's my next batch," she mentioned, motioning towards the new SG team walking in. "I have to get back to work, Daniel."

"Janet? Can't you just give everyone a shot of anti-histamines like you did with the Touched virus?" Daniel quickly asked the question he'd been meaning to ask for a few hours.

Raising her brows, she looked at him, a bit perplexed. "Just give them a high dose of anti-histamines? And what if it doesn't work? I already told you that it looks like the virus has mutated, there's no telling if it still feeds off the stored histamines in the body. I can't just risk such a high dose, that could lead to an overdose."

"Oh," he mumbled. "How bad is that?"

"Hallucinations, agitation, blurred vision, coma, confusion, inability to urinate, lack of sweat, motor skill deficits, rapid breathing, irregular heart rhythm, low blood pressure, psychosis… death."

"Really?" Daniel questioned, wide-eyed. "I had no idea…"

Janet nodded slowly. "Yes, I only used it because we had no idea what else to do and the then-Colonel O'Neill had volunteered to be tested upon."

"I see," he mumbled, once again impressed with Jack's actions, although he doubted the man had been competent enough at the time to understand the full implications of the 'cure'. "Well, I'll go see if I can find Sam so that you can go back to your patients."

* * *

Suddenly finding herself on the floor, Sam glared up at the towering man. "Nothing, I want you," she repeated, wondering when he would finally believe her!

"Yet, it's his ring," Jack grumbled, glaring right back at her.

"Jack," she protested as she tried to get up from where he'd dropped her.

His eyes closed and he clenched his fists as she called him by name. "No," he growled, grabbing her arm and pulling her up roughly. "I don't share," he reminded her, his fingers digging into her skin.

"Only you," Sam whispered, pleading with her eyes and taking a step closer to him.

He shook his head and pushed her away, watching her stagger a few steps until she regained her balance. "Get out," he ordered, taking on his commanding voice.

"No," she refused, defiantly glaring back at him, trying to stand her ground, despite only wearing her underwear and half her shirt.

"Carter," Jack hissed in a dangerous tone, menacingly walking towards her.

"You're mine," Sam retorted with her hands on her hip, swallowing hard as he came closer, his eyes almost completely black and his entire posture screaming his fury with her. "Sir," she added, trying to show him her willingness, her submissiveness even if he would just acknowledge it. Still, she took a step a back, a bit intimidated by his angry behavior.

He narrowed his eyes at her and slowly shook his head.


	18. Chapter 18

Jack was watching her as she stood less than three feet away from him, her chest heaving, hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. He could almost feel the anger, frustrations and even a little bit of fear radiating off her in waves. It only served to make her even more enticing to him. Smirking, he took a step closer, pleased to see she still took a step back, despite her bravado. He appreciated her spunk, but no one openly defied him!

Sam cowered back a bit when he entered her personal space, suddenly backing up against the wall and before she could move, he placed his hands on either side of her face. Her breathing sped up and her eyes fluttered briefly at his proximity, his scent invading her senses. All of a sudden, he seemed to pause, his brows knitted together as if something came to mind. She flattened herself against the wall as best she could, not entirely sure why she'd thought this was a good idea as his eyes darkened and glared at her.

 _He sat back on his knees straddling her, watching the pale expanse of her back. Following the curvature of her spine with his fingers, starting at her exposed neck until he reached her pelvis. The skin was soft underneath his rough hands, his movements eliciting small shudders from her body. Splaying both hands his fingers reached her sides and he moved them back up to her shoulders, feeling the fine sheen of sweat that had formed on her now-rapidly cooling skin. "Mine," he whispered, making sure to touch every inch of skin as she continued to control her breathing, still coming down from her high. He leaned over her still form, placing his hands near her head to nuzzle her hair, her cheek and jaw line before moving back to her ear._

" _You're mine, Samantha," he muttered, smirking as his warm breath hitting her ear made her shiver. Scooting back on his knees, he bit back a moan as his erection slid over the swell of her ass and nestled against her inner thigh. He grabbed her wrists and lowered himself over her, his chest almost touching her freckled back and his hipbone resting against her ass. Closing his eyes, he nuzzled, licked, kissed and nipped his way down her body, all the while muttering "mine" against her skin. He sunk his teeth in the rounded globes of her ass, making her yelp and buck her hips as he marked her._

 _He let go of her hands and sat up, grinning at his work. Letting his hands rub over his marks, before kneading the flesh with his strong fingers. "All mine," he proclaimed again, slipping his fingers between the two cheeks as he touched her intimately. "Say it," he growled as he continued his journey, his fingertips slowly dragging over her sensitive flesh, touching and probing until she squirmed._

" _I'm yo-" She moaned, biting her lip as her face turned into the blanket. "Yoursss," she finished, when he teased her opening._

" _You belong to me," Jack murmured, slowly spreading her legs with his free hand. "Only me, Samantha."_

 _Pushing herself up a bit on her elbows, she nodded as she felt him move over her thighs, his manhood slipping through her folds unexpectedly. "Yes ss-Sir," she murmured, dropping her head._

As it flashed through his mind, he frowned, for it felt so real. But that would mean… Leaning in closer, Jack was pleased to see her nostrils flare and hear her sudden intake of breath as their noses almost bumped. "You," he whispered dangerously, fingering the ring hanging on her tags and waiting for her eyes to look at the sign she belonged to someone else. "Betrayed me."

She drew in a shaky breath and swallowed hard, for the first time realizing how vulnerable she was without most of her clothes while alone with him. He exuded power and, more importantly, fury despite only wearing his sweat pants. If anything, he looked even more imposing with his broad, naked chest with the sparse silver hairs on it. Cautiously, Sam brought up one hand and placed it over his pounding heart. "I want you," she whispered softly, her fuzzy mind making it incapable for her to think of anything else to explain what she wanted.

"You were mine," he said in an accusing tone, "and you betrayed me." Pushing off the wall, he took two steps back.

Feeling a bit light headed, she straightened and glared at him. How dare he reject her again? How could he refuse her? Sam looked down and opened the last few buttons of her long sleeve, exposing her taut stomach. The ring resting on the swell of her breast caught the light and sparkled, yet it felt as if it was burning her. Pursing her lips together, she reached up and snagged at the ball chain which easily snapped. Sam panted, glaring at him and finding his dark eyes on her, following her every move. "Is that it?" She nearly yelled, holding the ring and tags in her hand as both ends of the ball chain slipped from her neck. Clenching her fist, she felt the diamond pressing into her skin. With a last glare, she threw the offending item at him. "There!"

Jack made no move to catch it, hardly feeling the impact before it fell to the ground. He simply stood there, wondering what her next move would be as he kicked the jewelry away. Did this mean it  _had_  happened? That he was remembering something he'd had no inkling of? That she knew and acknowledged that too? Then why did she betray him at all? His head was spinning and his mind felt fuzzy as he tried to think clearly. After a heavy silence, he gave up. "No going back," he said in a low tone filled with a dark promise. His heart had started racing the moment she'd grabbed the ring and now it was ready to burst out of his chest. She nodded and before she could form the words, he took two strides and grabbed her roughly; one hand in her hair and the other grabbing her rear.

Sam gasped when suddenly his hands were on her, but before she could reciprocate his mouth was on hers. His tongue pushing against her lips, demanding entrance before his teeth bit her lower lip. At her startled yelp, she felt his tongue sweep over the hurt and then it was in her mouth. She was overcome with feelings, her body humming as their tongues dueled for dominance and she quickly grasped his shoulders to steady herself. He tasted amazing, his need for her evident by the passionate and almost desperate way he explored her mouth. His small lips not leaving hers as he backed her up against the wall with his body, the hard planes of his body pressing against her torso as she felt his hard-on against her stomach. With a soft moan, she ground her hips against his, swallowing the grunt she elicited from him.

He pressed his need against her even more firmly, one hand impatiently tugging at her shirt while the other tangled in her hair, keeping her head still for his tongue's invasion. "Samantha," he muttered as they broke minutely for more air.

 _With one hand on her hip, he slid the other up to her neck. Bending forward, his chest came in contact with her smooth back as he continued his thrusts in her sweet body. Grasping her neck, he slid his other hand under her belly, his eager fingers finding her wet folds, slick with her juices. "Up," he grunted through clenched teeth as he pulled on her neck. She gasped, her head leaning back on his shoulder as he kept up his steady rhythm. His fingers teased her sensitive bundle of nerves, her hips jerking in response as he grasped a full breast. Roughly kneading the mount, he caught its hard, rosy nipple between his fingers and squeezed. She yelped, her inner muscles contracting around him and he knew she was close. Flexing his back muscles, he pumped up into her body, picking up the pace. The soft little whimpers and mews she elicited fueling his need to completely mark her. Rolling her nipple between his fingertips, he squeezed and twisted it, even pulled on it until she jerked. Nuzzling her neck he did it again, copying the movements to her clit until she was writhing in his hold. Suddenly she exploded around him, releasing a keening cry as she climaxed, her muscles squeezing and pulling on him. He continued his ministrations, too worked up and hard to come as well and bit down in her shoulder until he tasted blood on his tongue, his rhythm not faltering until she slumped in his arms and he pushed her down again…_

"I want you," she murmured, grasping at the strands of his hair as her hand slid up his nape. She was throbbing and so wet, her breasts heavy and her body simply aching for him. Suddenly he pulled away and looked at her strangely. "Jack?"

Not bothering to reply, he grasped her shoulders and twirled her around, facing the wall. With a quick move, he finally pulled her shirt off her back. That's when he saw it. Dipping his head, he licked the scar on her shoulder. "It's real," he mumbled, opening his mouth to place his teeth over the scar.

"What?" Sam questioned, completely confused. "Please," she pleaded, rubbing her six against him.

The realization seemed to reignite his body's needs and jack growled lowly as he pulled her hips against him. Taking a deep breath, he could smell her. The heady scent going straight to his head as all blood seemed to rush south and his sweats were becoming uncomfortable. Shrugging the oversized pants off, they pooled at his feet and he simply kicked them aside. Now, standing in his boxers, he pressed himself against her back. "Mine," he whispered.

His warm skin against her own almost made her purr. "Yes," she replied throatily, thinking it sounded more like a question than a statement. "All yours," she confirmed, grinding back against him.

"I won't be gentle," he growled in her ear, feeling the need to mark her again. Make sure this time  _everyone_  knew she was his and his alone!

Turning around, she placed her hands on her chest and pushed him back. "I don't want gentle," she replied with a glint in her eye as he tripped over the discarded pants and fell on the floor. "I want  _you_."

Jack smirked and pulled her down with him, his mouth immediately back on hers. Her lips were so soft and pliant, her taste intoxicating and he wanted more, much more. She'd have to pay for her betrayal before she could claim him as her own again! Reaching up, he yanked the bra off, the clasp easily snapping and he discarded it over his shoulder. He grabbed her hair, pulling her head back as his other hand grabbed a full breast. The nipple was already hard, begging for his attention as he kneaded the flesh roughly. With a growl, he lowered his head and caught the hard peak between his lips.

Jerking at the touch of his wet, hot mouth, Sam rocked her hips against his as she shifted to straddle him. "More," she moaned as he sucked and used his teeth. She ground her hips against him, feeling his erection pressing against her folds despite the layers of fabric.

He released the little nub with an audible pop and licked and nibbled his way up to her neck, marking every patch of skin. Wrapping his other arm around her, he rolled them over. Jack grinned down at her wide eyes, his hands hiking her legs up his a bit more for better contact as he continued to rub himself against her center. "Wet," he grunted, slipping a hand between them to touch the fabric. He pulled on it, but it wouldn't give. "Damn," he growled. Then, using both hands, he tore the fabric in two and threw it to the other side of the room.

Sam shuddered as he tore her boxers of, the actions causing wonderful friction, making her even wetter as more of juices gushed out. "Please Sir," she pleaded, rocking her hips and offering herself to him.

With a growl, Jack raked his eyes over her naked form as she lay there, eager for him to take her. He pulled his boxers down to free himself and shimmied out of them, kicking them off his feet. Grabbing her knees, he pushed them outward until she protested and without warning, plunged inside of her. He grunted as she enveloped him, tight, wet and warm. God, the pull of her flesh was amazing and he wasn't even all the way in. Her legs closed around his hips again and he pulled them higher to open her for deeper penetration. He slipped out of her completely and blindly thrust back in, smirking as she squeaked.

She started moving her hips with him, trying to follow him to prevent his cock from leaving her body as he pulled back. Then, suddenly, he grabbed her wrists and placed her hands above her head. "Stay," he grunted, squeezing them to emphasize his words. Sam helplessly nodded as his hands went back to her legs. He pulled her open even further, her joints protesting. "Ow," she bit her lip but he simply narrowed his eyes at her, keeping her open for him.

Jack sat back on his knees, not even feeling the slight discomfort usually accompanied with this position as he pulled her closer to him. Her eyes widened a bit and he simply smirked as he held on to her hips and thrust in completely, making her cry out. Her muscles clenched around him at the invasion, but he simply pulled out and did it again, finally sheathing himself completely inside of her. He grunted with the effort but watching her eyes roll back before they fluttered close, her white teeth gnawing her bottom lip, her perky breasts bouncing on each thrust and her stomach muscles ripple as she moved with him, was totally worth it. "Mine," he growled, digging his fingers into the flesh on her hips. Then he moved over her, riding her harder and faster until she mewed and whimpered on every thrust.

His mouth closed over a nipple, biting and licking at the sensitive bud and Sam yelped loudly, her entire body tensing as pain and pleasure ripped through her body at his abuse of her body. "Harder," she heard herself utter and squeaked again when he gave a particularly hard thrust. It felt amazing, the pleasure drowning out the pain leaving just the pull and friction which were incredible. As he picked up the pace, she wasn't sure what was coming first; her climax or her body ripping in two, but as her head bumped the floor and he rode her harder than any man had ever done, she stopped thinking and just focused her senses.

He growled against her soft flesh, nibbling on the two mounds as he felt his orgasm climb up his spine. Slipping one hand between them, he pushed down hard on her clit, her hips jerking wildly in response. He did it a few more times before roughly grabbing the little bud and twisting and pulling on the flesh, trying his best with her slick folds hindering his actions. He was burning inside and bit down hard on a nipple, sending her over the edge as she let out a primal scream, her body milking and clenching around him. Grunting with effort, Jack slipped his arms under her back, grabbing her shoulders for leverage and thrust wildly inside of her until he too was coming. "Mine!" Finally marking her as  _his_.


	19. Chapter 19

Sam was lying on the uncomfortable rug, her eyes closed with her entire body tingling as frissons of pleasure continued to shoot through her. Panting, her chest rose and fell as she tried to get control over her erratic breathing. A soft moan escaped her lips as she tried to swallow, the simple act almost proving too much for her suddenly exhausted body. She tried again, then bit her lip as her head lolled to the side. Taking a deep breath, her sensitive nose was once again hit with his scent and the lingering smell of sex. Lifting her head slightly, she searched for him, wondering why it was so dark and why it took her limp body so much effort to move. She squirmed a bit, wondering at the sensations going through her body; pleasure mixed with pain and discomfort. Blinking, she realized she'd passed out and it was only dark because her eyes had still been shut. Tipping her head back, she noticed her arms were still stretched above her. Despite their protests, she moved the extended limbs to help her sit up.

Her stomach muscles jumped at a fleeting caress and she looked up, her eyes locking onto dark brown ones. There was a twinkle in them and a smug grin on the handsome face that belonged to the hand now pressing down hard on her sternum, pushing her back flat against the floor once more. "Sir," she gasped, his hand warm on her cool body. Vaguely she realized she was naked, on the floor with her CO – equally naked – between her legs, which wasn't… Sam frowned, trying to organize her thoughts, but found she couldn't. Her mind was fuzzy and her brain wasn't really cooperating with her, all she knew that it wasn't supposed to be like this… and yet it felt right.

Suddenly he loomed over her again, his eyes dark and intense, his grin feral. He looked ready to pounce on her and to her surprise, she relished being his prey. Desire coiled low in her belly, flames rekindling again as her eyes took in his broad battle-scarred chest with the smattering of silver hair and his tags contrasting against the tanned skin. She tried to reach out, touch him, but he grabbed her wrists and placed them back to their original place above her head.

Jack shook his head as he narrowed his eyes at her in a warning.  _He_  was in charge, not her. He felt her struggle a bit against his hold, the rest of her body moving enticingly with her silent protest. Letting his eyes rake down her naked form, he used his knees to spread her thighs further and wrapped his lower legs around hers to keep her in place. Smirking, he was pleased with the result as she lay underneath him, spread and vulnerable –  _submissive_. "Samantha," he rumbled, lowering himself over her until his chest hit her cooled-down skin, his hands remaining on her wrists.

Her heart started pounding and her cheeks were burning under his intense scrutiny. She squirmed a bit under him as their bodies touched, his warm torso against hers. The touch nearly sent her senses in overload, his heat spreading through her body like wildfire, igniting a fire deep in her core. Her breathing sped up again as her nipples brushed against his and then the cool metal of his ball chain rolled over the swell of her breast, his tags settling between her two mounds. The hold he had on her wrists tightened and his knees forced her legs wider apart. Lifting her head, she frowned when he pulled his back.

Grabbing both wrists with one hand, he kept a firm hold on them and grabbed her hair with the other. Jack tugged on the golden strands, pulling her head back and keeping her still as he leaned down. He groaned as he caught her lips, pushing against them with his tongue to force her to open her mouth. He held back a moan as he slipped in, her taste and the feel of her nearly overwhelming. His tongue tangled with hers, neither of them holding back their passion as the kiss turned ferocious. He pulled back, nibbling on her swollen lips, pleased to see her blue eyes dazed and clouded with passion.

Sam let out a small moan of disappointment when he moved, lifting from her. She tried to follow him, catch his thin lips again but it was of no use. He was gazing down at her again, his hand leaving her hair to stroke her cheekbone, down her jaw to her throat. She gulped when his strong fingers wrapped around it, squeezing gently as they moved lower, finding her pulse point. She was aware of her speeding pulse, her blood rushing through her veins under his attention and she knew he could tell as well. His rough fingertips moved lower, sliding down her collar bone to the swell of her breasts. Her back arched involuntarily, aching for his touch.

He chuckled softly, using his nails to follow the contours of her breasts. Her nipples tightened even more under his touch, making him smirk smugly. Cupping the mound in his hand, he squeezed, his thumb brushing over the hard peak. She moaned loudly, arching even more. Continuing to play with the sensitive bud, Jack grew bolder as he trapped it, rolling it between his fingers before tugging on it. Alternatively he twisted, tugged, pulled and squeezed the nipple, making her whimper before he switched to her other breast.

"Please," she murmured, her eyes closed in pleasure as she writhed underneath his large frame and continued ministrations. Her body was humming with need as he played with her. She could hardly move with his hold and body on her and, despite feeling trapped she was also aroused with his domination of her. Rocking her hips, she tried to urge him on, but he ignored her. Suddenly she felt his breath was over her skin and then her sore nipple was enveloped in his hot mouth as he licked and sucked. "Oh God," she moaned, arching her back to push more of herself against him. His teeth came into play, biting and pulling on the nipple, making her mewl.

Jack pushed her hips down with his hand as he released the flesh and moved to the other mound to give it the same treatment. Her taste was intoxicating and he couldn't get enough of her soft little whimpers as she helplessly squirmed under him. He was finally in control and she was  _his_ , his to do as he pleased. Growling softly, he used his teeth to nip at her skin. Slowly, he nibbled and licked his way from one breast to the other, before moving lower.

At first, Sam had yelped as his teeth came down in her flesh, her body jerking in response. But he went on, relentlessly, nibbling on her skin and soothing the marks he made with his lips and tongues until she was merely whimpering. She could feel herself grow wet, tried to press her thighs together but his knees made it impossible. "Sir," she moaned breathlessly as his tongue dipped into her navel. His hand slowly started moving lower from her hip, his touch setting her skin on fire and she felt the sweat break out on her overheated body.

Leaning back on his knees, he kept his hold on her wrists as he looked down on her flushed skin. Her eyes were dark, her lips red and swollen from her repeated gnawing as she tried to stifle her moans. Her breasts were swaying gently with her heavy breathing, their dark nipples hard and wet from his mouth's attention and the rest of her torso decorated with his marks next to some old scars. Satisfied with his work, Jack let his free hand trail lower, brushing the trimmed golden hairs at the apex of her spread thighs. He looked up with burning eyes as her breath caught, seeing her watch him with trepidation, desire and lust flashing across her face. "Mine," he whispered, before letting his fingers slip between her legs to explore more of her folds.

Her flesh almost seared his fingers and he groaned when he found her soaked with her juices -  _their_ mixed juices from earlier. Leisurely letting his fingers trail her folds, he purposely avoided her sensitive bundle of nerves. She was trying to hold his gaze through her heavy-lidded eyes and when he dipped his finger inside of her, she moaned as her hips bucked trying to increase the contact. Jack smirked and continued his exploration as her eyes screwed shut and she scrunched up her nose. She started squirming again, obviously restless and in need of more, so he flicked her clit with his thumb and she jerked, her body tensing visibly. "Samantha, Samantha, Samantha," he murmured, rubbing and caressing her flesh, tugging at the inner lips.

Sam groaned, her head falling back. Sweat started to pool between her breasts as she moved her hips against his hand, trying to grind against him for more pleasure. "Please Ja- _General_ ," she begged, still able to correct herself when he glared at her, despite her current daze. "Sir," she arched, offering herself to him.

Growling, Jack thrust his finger inside her, making her squeak despite her pleas. Bending forward, he licked the small sheen of sweat from her body as his finger explored her tightness. He heard her hiss as he moved it around, knowing she was sore from when he'd claimed her moments ago – before she'd passed out. Unable to resist, he sucked both her nipples hard and thrust another finger inside her. She tensed and his mouth moved higher, trailing up her neck until he found her lips and pushed his tongue between them, plundering her mouth.

She whimpered at the double assault as his tongue was challenging hers and his fingers continued to stretch her sensitive tissues. A sharp pain shot through her when he inserted another finger and moved the three apart to stretch her further, she tensed, her inner muscles tightening around him but her protest was lost in his mouth. The pressure of his hold on her wrists increased at the same time his fingers started thrusting inside her and she mewled loudly as he broke the kiss.

"Mine," he reiterated, scowling at her as his fingers kept up the pace, despite her tightness. Nuzzling her hair as she averted her gaze, he pressed a sloppy kiss to her temple as his thumb brushed her clit. She moaned in response and he felt her grow wetter around his fingers. Brushing his lips over the side of her face, he licked her cheek as he moved to her ear. "All mine, Samantha," he told her, increasing the pressure of his thumb as he thrust his fingers inside her even deeper. Moving, he leaned back again, watching her under his assault. Her face contorted in pleasure as she moved on his fingers and her body completely open to his gaze. Watching her most intimate parts, swollen with arousal and glistening from the juices that were dripping out of her as his hand kept working her. His fingers disappearing inside of her on every thrust, hearing her squeak or whimper in response…

Jack felt himself grow hard again, wanting to replace his finger with his cock and just ram it inside of her, taking her as he claimed her body once more. But he couldn't, not yet… he wasn't done yet with her, with showing her he was in control, how he could manipulate her body. How she  _belonged_  to him and no one else.

"Yes, yes," Sam mumbled, trashing on the floor, unaware of the rough rug under her smooth back as she was in the throes of her passion. His hand had her bordering on pain and pleasure again and she was so close to falling over the edge… she just needed a little push. Panting, she ground herself against him, feeling his rough thumb and palm brush against her sensitive flesh as his fingers kept thrusting inside of her, stretching her. "Yours," she whispered when she found him staring at her intently, his need for her apparent in his eyes and his clenched jaw.

Pleased, he rubbed her clit roughly as he thrust his fingers in, knowing it would send her over the edge. She cried out, her muscles pulling at him as her orgasm ripped through her, her body jerking and her legs tensing around him.

* * *

Walking into the infirmary, Daniel glanced around looking for his friend. Not finding the petite brunette, he turned the corner and instead found Doctor Alisen Brightman. "Ah, Doctor Brightman, hello."

"Doctor Jackson," Alisen nodded as she looked up from a chart. "Can I help you?"

"Have you seen Janet?" He questioned, still looking around in the hopes of spotting her.

She shook her head and shrugged. "No sorry, can't help you."

"Sam then perhaps?" Daniel asked and seeing her frown, he quickly corrected himself. "Ah, Colonel Carter, I mean."

Finishing the last update, Alisen put the chart aside and straightened. "We've been very busy all day and to be honest, I haven't had time to leave this spot in the infirmary all afternoon, let alone register who came and didn't come in, Doctor Jackson."

"Oh, of course," he nodded his understanding. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply-"

"It's all right," she waved his apology away. "Last I heard, Janet went to see Doctor Sheffield for a consultation."

Pursing his lips together, Daniel racked his brain. "Who? And why does she need a consultation?" he questioned, suddenly worried.

"Doctor Sheffield," Alisen replied calmly. "From the genomics department." Seeing it still didn't ring a bell for the archeologist, she let out a soft sigh. "The biomedical science department that specializes in mapping and studying the genetics of alien organisms."

"Ah," he mumbled, still frowning. He'd heard about it from Sam and Janet once, but hadn't really been there nor did he know a lot of people who worked there. He did know that the department was – unlike most departments – not founded shortly after the program's inception, but only when they had encountered so many different alien life forms off-world and could spare the money from the budget. Obviously they couldn't send all the collected material to Area 51 for security reasons, certain protocols and funding, not to mention the NID and the Trust.

"Doctor Sheffield specializes in genetics and microbiology," she continued patiently. "Janet is hoping that together they can come up with a theory regarding this," she waved her hands around, trying to encompass the entire situation, "infection."

Daniel bobbed his head, now really understanding and crossed his arms. "So, she doesn't know the cause yet?"

"There's nothing definitive yet," Alisen confirmed. "We've gotten some test results back though and as you've probably already noticed, we have a lot more occupants in the isolation rooms."

"Yeah," he grimaced. "I noticed. I'll just go to my office then, to go over some research," he mumbled, pushing up his glasses. "If you see Janet, or Sam, could you-"

"Don't worry, Doctor Jackson, I'll tell them," she smiled, reaching for another medical file. She watched him nod once more, before going on his merry way. There were still some files that needed updating since they'd gotten some of the test results back and considering all twenty-something patients she'd had to sedate this afternoon…

* * *

Janet entered the commissary and quickly placed some food on her tray. The room was full with personnel and scanning the crowd, she figured Daniel, Sam nor Teal'c were there so she piled on some more food, intent on eating her dinner in the infirmary together with the other doctors that had been working non-stop today. They were all exhausted and stressed out, if not from the last few weeks with an undermanned staff then today was more than enough; they had seen dozens of patients, examining and interviewing them for possible symptoms and drawing blood to send to the laboratory. There was only a short break for dinner on their roster and she was already late, meaning she had even less time than the others.

With strides as long as her short legs could make them, she hurried back to the elevator and went up to the infirmary. She had spent several hours discussing with Doctor Sheffield and had arranged for a meeting tomorrow with all the medical doctors and other doctorates that could possibly help them solve this problem. She'd already gone by the archeology, anthropology and linguistic department to let them know and Nyan, Daniel's research assistant had promised to let everyone know as soon as they came in.

They still had to identify the cause and source of the infection, not to mention narrow it down to everyone who'd be susceptible to it. They were already testing most of the personnel, but it would take hours if not days for all those results to come in. Judging by the number of affected people in the isolation rooms after this afternoon, they didn't have days! It was spreading much faster now than it had before, or maybe no one had noticed until the quarantine had started. That reminded her, she still had to check in with the Academy hospital to learn if there were any cases amongst the personnel that had already left the base. She knew they had been given orders to report to the hospital and this morning almost everyone so far had showed up, but if some were already infected and slowly changing they obviously wouldn't show up.

Oh! She also had to call General Hammond and keep him abreast of the situation. As director of Homeworld Security he was aware of the quarantine since General O'Neill had to inform him and the President before executing it, but she doubted anyone had informed him since. Not to mention that her former CO had contacted her directly several days ago… it made her wonder if perhaps the General's instincts had been right. At the moment she'd thought his request to keep him in the loop was odd, although not all that strange considering he had been here for seven years and left Jack O'Neill of all people in charge of his base for his promotion to director of HWS in Washington DC.

Sighing, she stepped out of the car and quickly walked over to the infirmary, for once ignoring her patients in the isolation rooms as she knew there was nothing she could for them right now. At the moment they could only sedate them to keep them calm and from harming themselves or others, and if everything was going according to plan, Alisen should have done the rounds already. Now, they needed to eat dinner before they'd all pass out.

* * *

Sam squirmed in his hold, her joints and muscles feeling the strain of their forced positions now that she came down from her high – again. "No," she sobbed, shaking her head. He'd been relentless, stroking and playing her body through her orgasm, prolonging it until she came again – and again. Now that the pleasure was gone it started to hurt, she'd become oversensitive and her mouth was dry from all her panting and screaming. Her body was covered in sweat and rapidly cooling down – again – and her hair was plastered to her head. She let out a sigh of relief when he finally slipped his fingers from her and eagerly pressed her legs together, wincing in the process, as he moved from between her legs, instead lying next to her on the floor.

His hand reached out and cupped one breast, gently brushing his fingers over it, careful not to touch her sensitive nipple or the marks. "Mine," he whispered, rolling her on her side and pulling her closer, facing him. "You're mine, Samantha."

"Yes," she mumbled, tired and exhausted, hiding her face in his neck as she snuggled up to his chest. And he was hers. She felt him twitch against her hip and bit her lip, glancing down. He was more than ready, had been hours ago and yet he'd simply continued to manipulate her body. She wanted him, feel his strong male body moving over hers as he buried himself inside of her. But not now. She was sore, everything hurt and she instinctively knew he'd done it on purpose.

Jack slid his hand through her hair, brushing it out of her face, before bending her head back to kiss her passionately. She responded immediately and soon the tangling of tongues wasn't enough as the kiss got out of control. Grinding against her, he tried to find some relief against the pressure in his cock. He was so hard it hurt, but he hadn't wanted to give up. Had to make sure she was completely his, that she subjected and submitted herself to him entirely and wasn't planning on running off to find another mate. Now she could hardly move, physically drained and marked with his scent, his saliva and his essence.

Cautiously, Sam took him in her hand. Gently wrapping her fingers around him and moving her hand over him, trying to exert the right kind of pressure. He hissed at the touch, so she increased the pressure and moved a bit faster, swiping her thumb over the head to spread his pre-cum around.

Trying to keep in control, he closed his eyes as she continued her ministrations. However, as her hand grew bolder and she pushed him back to straddle his leg, his eyes opened wide and he stilled her wrist with one hand, grabbing her hair with the other. Jack growled, wanting to yell at her that  _he_  was in control, that he dominated her and not the other way around. His mind was too incoherent to form the words, though, so he simply pulled on her hair until she yelped and their noses nearly touched. "Mine," rumbled from his chest, his eyes glaring at her.

She bit her lip, her eyes wide when facing his nearly black ones and nodded, highly aware of his strength and the power he had, not to mention the hand that had moved to her throat. Before she could even think of something to do or say, he pushed her down his body. Swallowing hard, Sam glared back at him, not yet ready to admit defeat but too careful to anger him to the extent where he'd hurt her intentionally. He held her eyes before he pushed harder and Sam felt her cheek brush the small smattering of hair going from his navel to his manhood.


	20. Chapter 20

Suppressing a yawn, Janet walked into her office and inelegantly plopped down in her chair. The caffeine from her last three cups of coffee didn't seem to kick in and she took a moment to close her eyes. She was tired, had a splitting headache and was worried about this infection spreading around base. Taking a deep breath, she straightened and reached over the desk for her phone and started dialing. The phone rang three times before it was picked up.

" _Hammond_ ," her former commanding officer and now director of Homeworld Security answered.

"General Hammond, Sir, this is Doctor Fraiser," she hesitantly replied.

She could hear him lean back in his chair and sigh. " _What can I do for you Doctor?_   _I must admit I'm a bit surprised to hear from you; as a matter of fact I was waiting for Jack to check in with me."_

Running a hand through her hair, Janet decided a direct approach would be best. "I'm afraid General O'Neill has been compromised, Sir." A silence met her ears, which was only interrupted by a deep sigh and she could imagine him leaning back in his chair, worried and dragging a hand through his non-existent hair. "Sir?"

" _Doctor, are you telling me Jack is infected with this disease?"_

"Yes Sir," she replied evenly. "I just got his results back and they are crystal clear."

" _I see_ ," Hammond mumbled.  _"Has he been placed in isolation?"_

Janet nervously fiddled with the cord of the receiver. "Doctor Brightman administered a sedative to him earlier today, which, in combination with him being sleep deprived for several days now, should get him through the night, Sir."

" _In his personal quarters?"_

"Yes Sir," she confirmed with a nod. "Although we suspected he was infected, I did not feel comfortable placing him in isolation until I had confirmation. He was still lucid at the time and agreed, albeit slightly reluctant, because we both knew he would be asleep the entire time and just as a precaution Master Sergeant Siler changed the security system so no one could get in or out, with the exception of my team of doctors."

" _I agree, Doctor. How far has this infection spread?"_ Hammond inquired pensively.

Glancing at the files on her desk, Janet suppressed a sigh. "The test results indicated Doctor Green and Captain Casey were compromised as well and they have been taken into isolation by the SFs."

Hammond cleared his throat as he processed this new information.  _"Casey… what about the rest of SG-2?"_

"Three SFs managed to restrain Captain Casey as he was assaulting his team member, Major Griff. Fortunately, Major Griff was relatively unharmed and his test results came back clear. It appears that he's the only member of SG-2 that hasn't been infected, Sir, nor does it look like he's a carrier."

" _How many affected people do you have, Doctor?"_

Heaving a tired sigh, Janet rubbed her tired eyes. "So far, thirty-one, Sir. Luckily, the lockdown means most of the medical personnel and researchers are present so we're expecting more results in a few hours, Sir. If the numbers keep climbing I'll be running out of room soon."

" _You said this was similar to the Touched virus; will the same treatment work on these people?"_ The General questioned softly, although his tone spoke uncertainty.

"I fear it won't," she muttered, shaking her head. "Although there are similarities there are also differences between this virus and the one from seven years ago, Sir. I happen to know Colleen- _Doctor Greene,_  I mean, rivals Doctor Jackson in allergies; from pollen to latex gloves, she's allergic and takes antihistamines on a daily basis."

Hammond was silent for a moment, although she could hear him move around in his leather chair. " _But didn't Doctor Jackson became infected despite his antihistamines all those years ago? And your cure still worked, Doctor."_

"Only once he was on the planet, surrounded by the Touched and his medication had worn off," Janet tried to explain. "I can't in good conscience risk loading my patients up with chlorpheniramine if I don't have any proof it will work; if it doesn't cure them, it will most likely harm them with psychosis, coma or death as possible consequences."

" _You did it before_ ," he argued impatiently. " _There was no solid proof injecting Colonel O'Neill with the high doses of antihistamines would work…"_

Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. "With all due respect, Sir, the situation is different this time; back then I had sufficient evidence to suggest the antihistamines as a cure and I  _only_  administered them to the then-Colonel O'Neill because he volunteered to be experimented on. As much as I would like to cure this infection, we need to know what we're dealing with first, Sir."

" _You're right, Doctor Fraiser_ ," Hammond conceded,  _"I apologize. I shouldn't question your expertise-"_

"It's quite alright, Sir," she respectfully interrupted him. "We all wish this was over already."

He mumbled something incomprehensible, before changing the subject.  _"As I said before, I was waiting for an update from Jack. Now that I know he's been compromised, I'm wondering why Colonel Carter hasn't contacted me yet."_

"I have no idea, Sir. I spent most of my day in the infirmary or conferring with colleagues at the medical labs."

" _Have you or your staff examined her?"_

Janet frowned for a moment, trying to recall if one of the other doctors had mentioned it during dinner. "Well, she and the rest of SG-1 were scheduled to come by the infirmary in the late afternoon, but I wasn't there at the time. We only have the results from this morning back, but I do know that they have tested her post-mission blood sample from last Friday and that came back clean…" She browsed through her files until she found Sam's results. "Oh, inconclusive, I mean."

" _Doctor?"_

"At this moment that doesn't really mean anything yet, Sir. We have checked all the post-mission blood samples for personnel that went off-world last week, but some of those and others have come back inconclusive. It could either be because there wasn't enough blood for tests, that they're dealing with a different infection or they're not making enough antibodies to fight off the infection," Janet quickly elaborated.

" _I see_ ," Hammond mumbled, obviously deep in thought.  _"Colonel Reynolds and yourself?"_

"Both cleared, Sir. Most of the medical personnel appears to be clean, although some are fighting off a cold."

" _The other bug going around base?_ " He inquired, recalling one of their earlier reports.  _"Well, until Colonel Carter has been cleared, I'm putting you in charge of the major decision making and all things medical, Doctor. Colonel Reynolds will command the SFs and other retrieval teams, as well as the daily base decisions not related to this situation. Understood?"_

"Yes Sir," Janet replied, startled. Of course she outranked everyone when it came to medical decisions as she was the CMO, but it still surprised her somewhat.

Hammond chuckled softly, before turning serious again. " _I'm happy to inform you that so far none of the personnel that has reported to the Academy Hospital appears to be infected, Doctor. Is there anything else we need to discuss?"_

She thought for a moment, glancing at the small notebook she always carried around in her white coat. "I took the liberty of organizing a briefing tomorrow morning, to try and find out where this virus has originated and discuss the treatment options with the rest of the medical personnel, Sir."

" _Excellent. I will clear my schedule to attend via conference call_ ," he informed her.  _"If that was all, I think it's time for both of us to retreat for the night. I need you fresh and clear-headed tomorrow, Doctor Fraiser."_

"Yes Sir," Janet smiled softly, longing for her bed – even if it was only her bed on base. "It's already past midnight for you, Sir," she gently scolded him after checking the clock.

" _And to think I took this job to spend more time with my granddaughters and take it easy on my old heart,_ " General Hammond chuckled.

* * *

Resting her forehead on his toned abdomen, Sam took a deep breath trying to calm her frantic heartbeat. His scent invaded her nostrils, pure and strong, making her bite back a moan as it went straight to her head. His hand in her hair pushed her further down his body and she acquiesced, nuzzling the small smattering of hair leading to his manhood.

Jack watched her through narrowed eyes, her cool hands coming to rest on her thighs and one of her full breasts skimmed his erection. He hissed at the fleeting touch and his body tensed. The movement made him even more aware of her as his knee jerked, pressing against her wetness which elicited a moan from her. It only served to fuel his desires and he had to suppress the urge to haul her up, roll them over and ram himself into her. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that he shouldn't, that he'd hurt her as oversensitive and sore she already was. He didn't know where that came from, but figured it was true and despite having claimed and taken her roughly, he knew he had to appease her as well otherwise she'd run away and he'd lose her! No, he wasn't ready to lose her yet; she was perfect as his mate.

Squirming on his leg, she moved lower until she was nuzzling his groin. She could smell his masculine scent mixed with her own, her body automatically responding to the heady scent. His hand tugged on her hair, forcing her to tear her gaze from his manhood and look at him. Her gaze locked on his and she felt a shiver of arousal go through her at the intense darkness of his eyes. Suddenly he moved to sit up, forcing her to scoot back a bit. His hands closed around her upper arms like steel bands and she reveled at his silent strength.

Grabbing her arms, he pulled her between his legs, removing the temptation of rubbing against her with his leg. She was panting, her gaze flickering from his face to his erection and he could feel himself harden further under her attention. His own breathing sped up, his nostrils flaring and he became all too aware of her own arousal. Growling, Jack reached out to the shirt he'd pulled off her luscious body earlier and grabbed it. Pushing her back until she was sitting on her knees, he held her in place with one hand on her shoulder and with the other he used the shirt to brush and dry her thighs and folds, trying to lessen her arousing scent and the temptation it posed on his sanity and control.

Sam mewed softly in protest as the fabric brushed over her sensitive nerves, but within seconds he cast the shirt aside and pushed her back down as he lay back on the floor with a grunt. Understanding what he wanted, she nestled between his spread legs and cautiously placed her hands back on his muscled thighs. Bending down, she nuzzled his groin again, slowly moving inward to his throbbing need. It didn't take long for his hand to take up its position on her head, his fingers tangling in her hair to steer her closer.

His muscles tensed when her breath hit his cock and he gently tugged on her hair, wanting to see her eyes instead of just the top of her head. As expected, she obeyed, her blue eyes shining with excitement and arousal before they fluttered close and her swollen lips kissed his heated flesh. His free hand found the shirt to his side again, his fingers clenching the fabric as she continued her butterfly kissed up his length. A soft mean escaped his mouth when she pressed a soft kiss on the weeping head and traveled down again, only this time her lips were merely brushing against him as she nuzzled him. Groaning, Jack bucked his hips and pushed her back in place when she jerked backwards in reaction. "Samantha," he muttered, grinning as her cheek brushed against him, smearing his pre-cum over her cheek.

Darting out her tongue, she licked just beneath the head, enjoying him squirm under her for once. Her fingers slowly caressed his thighs as her tongue continued its exploration of his turgid flesh. Needing to taste and feel more of him, she licked the underside of his manhood until she reached the base. His hips jerked again and she moved her hands, keeping him in place as she kissed his sac. She heard him grunt and hiss, and smirked at the reactions she elicited from him. Growing bolder, Sam traced the tight skin with her tongue before moving back up.

Jack moaned at the feel of her wet tongue, its slipperiness magnificent against his skin and he exerted more pressure on her head, trying to guide her. He jerked when her tongue brushed against the base and she proceeded to lick and nibble her way up to the head. "Ahh," he groaned as her teeth nipped at him, his fingers clenching in the shirt and her hair. Needing more, he tugged on her hair and moved his hips.

Sam understood and flicked her tongue over the head of his cock, spreading his pre-cum around before she closed her mouth over the glans. He tasted a bit tangy and simply exquisite, her eyes fluttered and finally closed as she took him deeper into her mouth. Her lips were stretched by his girth and she tried to relax her jaw to slip him in even further.

Flames of arousal licked at his spine as her hot mouth surrounded him, her tongue swirling around his turgid flesh every now and then. Jack hissed when suddenly he felt her nails scrape down his sides, the pain a delicious contrast to the pleasures her mouth was giving him. Exerting more pressure on her head, he urged her to take him deeper as she started moving up and down him, teasing him. Hot tingles spread from his groin to his legs and his heart hammered in his chest when he hit the back of her throat. She swallowed, the feeling almost enough to make him explode. He started to move his hips, slowly forcing more of him down her throat before pulling back and thrusting in again. His balls tightened against his body, he knew he was close. Forcing his eyes to open, he locked gazes with her and recognized the power and desire that flashed through her blue orbs.

Pleasuring him with her mouth was far more pleasant than she had expected. His taste was addictive as she swirled her tongue around him. The power she felt knowing  _he_  was slowly losing control under her ministrations was… empowering. She dug her nails even deeper in his skin, drawing blood and let the head slip from her lips. His hand on her head was immediately pushing her back, but she merely grinned and licked the glans slowly, dipping into the slit.

Jack growled, raising his hips to feel more of her mouth. His fuzzy mind belatedly realized in what position he had left her… she felt in control, she was teasing him, trying to establish her power over him! Relinquishing the death grip he had on her shirt, he reached for her, cupping her cheek as she slowly lowered her mouth over him again. He moaned, his thumb brushing over her stretched lips, feeling her jaw move under his hand as she sucked him. Recognizing the dangerous glint in her eyes, he slipped both hands to the back of her head, keeping his thumbs on her jaw… slowly taking over control again. Pushing her down in his new hold as he thrust up with his hips, he heard –  _felt_  – her moan around him as he hit the back of her throat again. She moved faster, her nails digging into his hips as she tried to regain her power. Smirking, he picked up his pace, earnestly fucking her sweet mouth.

Sam knew he was close and continued her ministrations as he forced her into a rhythm. Despite him taking over, she felt in control… watching and making him  _lose_  control. She looked at him from underneath her lashes, his strained features as his climax was near and the tensed muscles in his body as he fought his release… Scraping her teeth over the underside of his erection, she felt him buck and relaxed her throat.

With a grunt, he arched his back, thrusting into her willing mouth. His release tearing through his body, pumping his seed down her throat. Samantha moaned as she tasted it, her eyes fluttering open for a brief moment and he growled, not wanting to acknowledge the power she had over him. Holding her head, he jerked in her mouth. Suddenly he pulled her down as she swallowed him, making her pull back, coughing, spluttering. Jack watched, fascinated as she tried to sit up, still coughing, his semen dribbling down her chin, some of it landing on him as she continued to splutter and he bucked again, his cock jerking once more as the last of his essence spurt out.

Trying to catch her breath and swallow the remainder of his release, Sam coughed a few more times. She glared at him, knowing he'd done it on purpose. Suddenly, he reached up and grabbed her and she found herself on her back, on the floor with him next to her and half hovering over her.

"Samantha," he murmured, using his thumb to wipe her chin. "So beautiful," Jack mumbled incoherently, looking down at her sweat-covered skin. His fingers smeared the come that had ended up on her chest over her skin, brushing it over her nipple. Glancing at her face – her softened features – he slowly lowered his head, nuzzling her breast before his lips closed over the hard peak, sucking and nibbling. "All mine," Jack whispered, as he released the nub. She tasted magnificent, pure Samantha mixed with her sweat and his own taste.

She swallowed hard, watching his dark and feral facial expression as he leaned over her. His thumb brushed over her lips, wiping the last smudges of his essence from the corners of her mouth. Sam darted out her tongue, tasting him on his finger, licking him clean.

Jack groaned, dipping his head to nuzzle her neck. Using his free hand, he wiped the remainder of his seed from his abdomen and brushed it over the small swell of her belly. Holding her eyes, he let his fingers slide lower, slipping between her thighs to smear the last of him over her folds, once more marking her.

Sam gnawed her lip, her breath hitching as his fingers slid over her sensitive flesh. A wave of arousal shot through her body as he pressed down on her bundle of nerves. She mewled softly against the mixed pleasure and pain, before his hand left her again. Opening her eyes as she felt his arms around her, she blinked at him.

"C'mere," he growled, pulling her against his body. He smirked as she snuggled closer, burying her face in his neck and slipped one leg between hers, resting his hand on her ass. Closing his eyes, Jack waited until their erratic heartbeats slowed down, lulling them to much needed sleep.


	21. Chapter 21

Alisen Brightman suppressed a yawn and knocked on the door for the third time. Not getting a response, she frowned and checked her watch. It was already past six a.m. and she had expected Doctor Fraiser to be in the commissary or infirmary by now. Their shift started in less than an hour and she'd already been paged to help at the infirmary as more people seemed to be affected by this virus. She'd just finished helping Sergeant O'Brien, who'd been attacked by Master Sergeant Vern Alberts. The skinny, bald-headed man with glasses had been an easy target for him as MSgt Alberts' more primitive urges had come to the surface and he had tried to establish his position with the personnel in the control room. He'd even tried to attack one of the female members of the staff, but Sergeant O'Brien apparently had a chivalrous streak in him and tried to protect the woman… only to end up with a broken nose, a cracked rib and some nasty cuts on his face.

After she'd stitched him up, she'd gone over to the CMO's base quarters to see if Janet was ready. She herself was still tired despite a few hours of sleep, but all the infected patients were getting their breakfast right about now so they could be sedated afterwards. It was something Doctor MacKenzie had noticed; after some of their primitive urges had been satisfied – feeding, mating or fighting – they tended to rest a bit and it was much easier to subdue them and administer the sedatives during those moments. It only took a few orderlies, SFs, male nurses and a doctor. Now that she'd had an update from MacKenzie about the new cases that had emerged during his shift last night, she was hoping Janet would be able to help her out before the briefing and videoconference with General Hammond from HWS.

It was still early though and she could understand why the CMO wasn't up yet, considering all the work she had done these past few days and the little hours of sleep she'd gotten. After pulling a double shift herself yesterday, Alisen had been happy that she didn't have to work her regular nightshift and had been sent to the guest quarters to get some sleep. Janet Fraiser had assigned Doctor MacKenzie to do the night shift instead, because he'd only been doing a few hours of paperwork in his office considering his specialty wasn't needed. Janet had been pulling off eighteen hour workdays for over a week and needed her sleep, Doctor Warner had been patching up some of the assaulted and infected patients in the OR and she herself had been doing a double shift, all the other MDs weren't on base. She'd been happy to hear Doctor Carmichael was recovering from his bout of the flu, but since he hadn't been on base when the lockdown had been initiated it wasn't of much use to them now. There were only four of them now and they were stretched thin, especially because Doctor Warner was the only surgeon and thus had to be sharp whenever someone was severely injured.

Sighing, Alisen debated what to do now. Raising her hand once more, she knocked again – loudly. "Janet?" She inquired, hoping her voice would carry through the door. "Janet? Doctor Fraiser?" She took on a sterner tone, hoping maybe it would trigger a subconscious reaction. Jamming her hands in the pockets of her doctor's coat, she bit her lip. "Doctor Fraiser?" She tried again, her fingers curling around her hair pin in the pocket. Moving her arms to loosen the knots in her shoulders, Alisen pulled her hair back and eventually placed the clip in, making sure her hair would stay out of her face, and used her elbow to knock on the door again. "Okay, I'm coming in," she mumbled more to herself, because she doubted Janet had been able to hear her. Pulling out her access card, she swiped it through the reader next to the door and, after a click was heard, opened the door cautiously. "Janet?" Peeking her head, she grimaced when she saw the CMO was still sound asleep. She walked into the room and gently shook her shoulder. "Janet!"

In an instant, Janet was awake and batted the hand on her shoulder away before opening her eyes. "Alisen?" She grumbled, her voice still sleepy. Watching the young doctor take a step back, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Did something happen? Is something wrong?"

Alisen held out her hands in a reassuring gesture and shrugged. "Mackenzie called me to help out half an hour ago. There are a few new cases but it looks like he had a handle on them. I was hoping we could do the rounds before the briefing so that we don't have to take a break to check up on the patients."

"Right," she replied, her eyes darting to her alarm clock and seeing she'd forgotten to set it when she went to bed last night. She'd been exhausted after a  _very_  long day and had been more than happy to oblige with General Hammond's order to get some shuteye. In her haste, she'd managed to change clothes but apparently fell asleep the minute she touched her mattress. Considering she didn't sleep that much in her base quarters, Janet wasn't surprised the alarm hadn't been set already. "What about the lab results? Did you get a look at those?"

Taking a few respectful steps backwards as the petite CMO got out of bed, Alisen nodded and leaned against the dresser. "Yes, most confirmed what we'd already discovered but I was still surprised," she informed her.

Janet brushed her hair out of her face and gave her an expectant look. "Oh?" She inquired, walking towards her private lavatory. Quickly using the sink to splash some water on her face, she instantly felt more awake.

"At first I thought the results weren't complete or they'd forgotten to add some," she explained. "But then I conferred with Colonel MacKenzie and we went over yesterday's notes together; several people didn't show up."

Alarm bells sounded in Janet's head at hearing this and she swallowed hard, knowing she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear. "Really?"

Alisen nodded, crossing her arms and shrugged. "Yeah, of course it's possible they weren't aware of the roster or simply forgot; there were a lot of civilian scientists among them," she added with a small grin.

"What about Colonel Carter?"

"Her and MSgt Siler both were unaccounted for, together with… a Marine, I think," she replied.

"Damn," Janet muttered, frowning. "Alright, let me get dressed and I'll meet you in the infirmary in ten."

* * *

Raising a brow, Teal'c cocked his head. "Would it not be wiser to employ the help of the security station on level sixteen?"

"Eh… um," Daniel stammered a bit, stunned. "Yeah, I guess we can use the cameras to search all the corridors and rooms."

"With the exception of the personnel quarters," Janet mentioned. "Only the double occupancy rooms for officers and four to six man berths for enlisted personnel on the upper levels are monitored."

"And the civilian on-base housing on level fifteen," Daniel added, recalling how happy he'd been to hear that even though he was a civilian, he got a room on level twenty-five because he was part of on SG team.

Teal'c acknowledged that by inclining his head slightly. "Although we know Colonel Carter to be most formidable, it seems unlikely she managed to pass the security station without alerting any of the remaining personnel on that level."

"I agree," Albert Reynolds nodded. "I'll take a team with me and we'll start at level sixteen while you check out the cameras for Colonel Carter."

Giving him silent approval, Janet motioned for him to lead the way and quickly followed with Daniel and Teal'c. The elevator car was already at their level so they quickly got in and pushed the right button. After checking out the infirmary earlier with Alisen, she'd gone over the test results and made a list of all the people who were infected but not yet in isolation, as well as those who hadn't shown up for their physical exams. Then she, Doctor Warner and Alisen had gone over the names of all the infected personnel, trying to find a pattern. She knew something had been eluding her for days, but her tired mind didn't seem to be cooperating much. "Let's go," she mumbled when the elevator doors opened.

"You really think Sam is infected too?" Daniel asked worriedly.

Alisen shrugged as she was walking next to him and Janet, all three of them following the burly airmen and Teal'c. "All we know is that she didn't show up and no one has seen her recently – at least, no one who's coherent enough to tell us. If she had come to get checked out we wouldn't have known yet, since your results aren't in yet either. You were one of the last groups and we're hoping to get those this afternoon."

"Aha," he muttered. "Well, I wanted to continue doing my research, trying to find the cause of this disease. And I feel fine, by the way."

"That's what they all say," Janet teased, "before they start thumping their chests and picking fights."

"Very funny," Daniel rolled his eyes, following the others into the small monitoring room as Reynolds and his makeshift team turned into the other corridor, to check up on the security station itself.

Janet narrowed her eyes and peered at the monitors. "Can we go by each level and check all cameras present?"

"Of course, Ma'am!"

Teal'c waited for the SF to type in some commands on his keyboard, before the monitors changed. Glancing over all, he shook his head. "Perhaps we should start with the lower levels."

"Sure, why not," Janet shrugged. "Those will probably go a lot faster, considering the occupied space there and the lack of cameras in the personnel quarters."

Daniel patiently checked out all the monitors as the SF was flipping through the different levels. "How is Jack by the way?" He asked, reminded of him as they reached level twenty-five and he noticed his room on screen.

"We'll check on him once we're done here," Janet replied. "The General got a strong sedative so he'll probably wake up any time now. Might as well let him get some of his primal rage out before we go in."

"Halt," Teal'c's voice boomed in the small room. "There," he indicated O'Neill's room.

Leaning in closer, Alisen shrugged. "I don't see anything."

"Can you zoom in?" Daniel asked.

"Sure, where?"

Teal'c silently pointed at the item protruding from the wall near O'Neill's quarters.

"Did Siler do that to disable the card reader?" Daniel asked aloud, not sure if anyone could actually give him an answer.

"No," Alisen replied.

Janet shook her head as well. "It wouldn't make any sense, because he knew me and my staff needed to access the room. I don't think we can open it now."

"Are you certain?"

Looking at Teal'c, Daniel sighed as he lifted his glasses, rubbing his eyes. "Well, it's not like we can ask him now that he's affected too and in isolation. Too bad we can't find Sam, I'm sure she could fix it." Hearing Janet gasp, he looked at her, narrowing his eyes against the blurriness before placing his glasses back on his nose. "What? Teal'c?" He asked, wondering why his two friends were looking at each other with raised eyebrows. "What?"

"I shall investigate matters further," Teal'c announced, after exchanging glances with Doctor Fraiser.

"You'll probably need something to cut through that door if the security system has been short-circuited," the SF informed them, tilting the camera just so and zooming in a bit more.

Raising her brows, Alisen looked at Janet and the SF. "Won't that take forever?"

"Couple of hours," the airman replied.

"We might as well head to the infirmary and see if we can find out more about this virus before the briefing," Janet informed her, having a gut feeling about where Sam might be.

"I don't understand," Daniel mumbled. "I guess I'll just stay here and see if I can find a clue about Sam, then."

* * *

Listening to Janet and Doctor Sheffield argue their case, Daniel rubbed his neck with a small grimace. Squirming, he used his nails, hoping scratching would help against the insistent itch. Although medicine wasn't really his area of expertise, he had slowly acquired more knowledge of it over the years he'd been working at the SGC and actually didn't have a lot of trouble understanding what the doctors and researchers were all talking about. A glance around the room told him everyone was focused on the two women explaining their theory to General Hammond – who was only present via a video link.

There were several people from Dr Sheffield's genomic department, Janet and Dr Brightman were both present, Bill Lee, Felger and his assistant Chloe, the commander of the medical SG-7, Dr Hamilton – albeit a bit bruised and battered from his run-in with an infected member of his staff earlier this weekend – and Doctors Meyers, Coombs and Balinsky. The last three were apparently infected with the cold virus, because they kept sniveling during the entire briefing. Teal'c was assisting Reynolds and some of the unaffected SG teams elsewhere on base as they tracked down all the people on Janet's list who turned out to be infected and, more importantly – at least to him – Sam.

" _Let's see if I understand this correctly,_ " General Hammond's distinctive voice sounded,  _"you're telling me that we never actually got rid of the Touched virus, Doctors?"_

"Yes and no, Sir," Janet replied, cringing at the outrage in his voice – which was understandable, since the man himself had been infected as well. "As you may recall, the Touched virus appeared to be a parasitical virus, feeding on amines and cholines, which are chemical transmitters in the body. These include neurotransmitters and when they were depleted, all but the most primitive parts of the brain seemed to just shut down. Next to that, the organism released a hormone, stimulating the primitive regions of the brain that are normally dormant."

General Hammond huffed a bit and narrowed his eyes. " _Yes, I remember_."

"Further testing revealed it was a histaminolytic microbe, feeding on histamine," she explained to him as well as those who were unaware of the situation back then.

"And because the Untouched had very little histamine in their blood it couldn't survive in them," Daniel added. "You and me," he gestured between Janet and himself, "were both taking antihistamines so they couldn't feed on us either, starving the microbe!" He exclaimed with a bright smile, again silently thanking the petite doctor for saving all of them from a life the Touched had been living. "Then you realized that giving everyone a high dose of antihistamines got rid of the histamine in their blood, effectively getting rid of the organism!"

Janet gnawed her lip pensively. "Yes and no," she frowned, feeling like she was beginning to repeat herself.

 _"Then please explain, Doctor Fraiser_ ," General Hammond's impatient reply sounded.

"Well," she started, feeling like they were drifting away from the real subject, but obliged nonetheless. "I oversimplified the situation back then; histamine is usually stored in cells in the body, if not it's broken down quickly and only released into the tissues and blood stream in an immune response, like fighting off something foreign to the body and allergies. It's not really in the blood itself normally."

Daniel pursed his lips together and furrowed his brow in confusion. "I'm not sure if I understand…"

"The antihistamines," Janet continued, "don't deplete the body of histamines but merely block the binding of the histamines to their receptors and thus preventing an allergic reaction. When one takes antihistamines, one's blood contains more histamines because they are secreted from the cells but unable to bind and finish their reaction. The histaminolytic virus was feeding off  _stored_  histamines," she explained, emphasizing the last bit. "We're still not sure about that exact mechanism, but because the Untouched ingested antihistamines, they had less histamines stored in the cells, like Doctor Jackson and myself because of our medication, Sir."

Rubbing his chin on screen, General Hammond nodded slowly.  _"I see; this is how you were immune."_

"Yes, well, until Doctor Jackson's medication wore off when he was among the Touched," she replied. "We assumed that in the end, with no stored histamine in the body, the organism simply died."

" _But that was not the case_?"

"I'm afraid not, Sir," Janet shook her head slowly, exchanging worried glances with Dr Sheffield. "My initial assessment was that the Touched virus was virulent, meaning it uses the lytic cycle for viral reproduction. This starts with penetration of the host's cell, then the viral genome is injected into the cell and viral components will be synthesized. These are assembled into complete viruses and then the cell bursts or the viruses bud off the cell membrane. Either way, the viruses go on to infect more cells, which go on to infect more cells... etcetera."

General Hammond leaned forward a bit, his bald head shining under the bright lights of his office. " _Are you revising that assessment now, Doctor?"_

She nodded, wringing her hands together. "Yes Sir. It appears this is exactly what happened for those who continued to take antihistamines for days, weeks or maybe even months after the infection, be that by natural antihistamines in food or simply medication. However, for those who only got the antihistamines shots to 'cure' them, the virus has been lying dormant for all these years. Virus latency is denoted as the lysogenic part of a viral life cycle, which is different from the lytic cycle as in the virus' genome actually integrates into the host's DNA. With every cell division it can be passed on to the daughter cells while remaining undetected. So, even though the virus production has ceased, the virus genome is still present and can be reactivated and begin producing large amounts of viral offspring."

Lesley Sheffield took the following silence as her cue and jumped in. "General Hammond, I'm Doctor Sheffield and I basically specialize in the DNA of alien life forms. Doctor Fraiser and I have been over all the available date together and this is what we came up with. You could compare it to Herpesviridae here on Earth, the Herpes Virus family all of which establish latent infection. Like Chicken-pox virus or Herpes Simplex viruses."

 _"I see_ ," he murmured.  _"With all due respect, Doctor Fraiser; how is it possible this wasn't detected any sooner?"_

"To be blunt, Sir," Janet replied, feeling her cheeks burn under his intense scrutiny. "We didn't know any better. We've come a long way in seven years, here at the SGC and in science in general. We knew about latent infections and were aware of Latent Associated Transcripts involved in Herpes Simplex viruses for example, but we didn't have the ability to find all the genes involved in viral latency. Even if we did, we didn't have the equipment here until a couple of years ago and couldn't risk sending alien DNA to other laboratories, Sir. Not to mention the fact that this exact type of virus and the genes we assume are responsible for the latency are basically still unheard of on Earth."

Lesley bobbed her head emphatically too. "The only reason we learned about it now is that the latent virus seems to have been triggered by a different virus, most likely what shows as a cold in people who were never infected with the Touched virus, General. Together, these viruses reacted and the original virus mutated into what is causing the symptoms we see now."

General Hammond seemed to process this and a soft murmur arose in the briefing room, until he spoke up again.  _"Have you been able to locate the origin of this other virus?"_

"Ah, I think maybe that's where we come in, General," Daniel replied, gesturing between him and some of his colleagues. "Our department has been going over the last missions, trying to determine who brought this virus back and if the carrier team was actually some sort of Trojan horse. Doctor Fraiser and her staff suggested that because symptoms of common colds usually begin two to five days after initial infection, we had to look back at least a week and considering this was most likely an alien virus, we took the precaution of going back two weeks."

 _"And what have you found, Doctor Jackson?"_

He sighed and opened the folder in front of him. "Well, we also checked with the infirmary to see when the first people started complaining of a cold… all this, combined with what we know of the Touched virus and the Land of Light, we think SG-6 brought back the virus, eight days ago from P2x-913."

"We confirmed they were carriers of the innocent cold virus and at first we thought they had gotten infected on Earth. We even feared for the population of said planet for a moment, until they reassured us they were unharmed once we reestablished contact with them," Alisen Brightman added.

"That is exactly what got me thinking," Daniel chimed in, bobbing his head enthusiastically. "Their culture was Minoan, like the Land of Light."

"Even the native name for their land, the Bright Plains sounds similar," Nyan offered.

Glancing at his research assistant, Daniel nodded. "Yes and when we went over the material and reports SG-6 had provided, we found even more similarities. Their capital is called Cnossus, probably after  _Knossos Palace_ , the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and a political centre of the Minoan civilization and culture, Sir!"

Janet glanced from her friend to the video screen showing General Hammond and recognized the man's subtle facial expression. Obviously he didn't really care about the culture on the planet when his own people were in danger.

 _"Doctors, does any of this bring us any closer to finding a cure?_ "

"We haven't found anything yet, Sir," she regretted to inform him.

Daniel, too, shook his head. "No, Sir. But I think the answer is on the planet and I believe we should go back to investigate!"

 _"Son, you're not going anywhere until this situation has been cleared up. A lockdown means no one in and no one out, whether that's through the regular doors or a wormhole,_ " General Hammond replied sternly.  _"Doctor Fraiser, how are the patients?"_

"Well, they are sedated now. Most of the time actually," she admitted. "Doctor MacKenzie realized that once their more primitive urges have been fulfilled to satisfaction, they become easier to handle, often relaxing or sleeping. Luckily this has enabled us to apprehend most of them without inflicting much harm."

General Hammond nodded pensively.  _"I regret to inform you that two of our people have been killed, trying to escape the mountain. They tried taking a hostage, one of the researchers from NORAD, who was shot too, but it was a flesh wound and he's been admitted to the Academy Hospital."_

A respectful silence descended upon the room, which Janet broke after a minute. "Yes Sir," she nodded, as she'd already been updated by Colonel Reynolds this morning. The two SFs had been working here since the inception of the program and had been assigned to guard the security checkpoint. She had been unaware of the status of the two men, but since she knew a Code Five had been initiated, she assumed they hadn't lived. "Colonel Reynolds and Teal'c found their escape route and have made it impenetrable."

 _"I'm pleased to hear it_ ," he mumbled, obviously also bothered by the two deaths.

She turned around when Colonel Raimi, the CO of SG-22 peeked his head around the door and tried to get her attention. "Excuse me for a moment, Sir," she waited for a curt nod of his head and went to the door.

"Doctor Fraiser, Colonel Reynolds asked me to inform you they were almost through the door of General O'Neill's quarters."

"Thank you, Colonel," she replied, frowning. Holding up her hand, she turned back to General Hammond. "General, Sir, Colonel Reynolds asked for my assistance-"

 _"Of course, Doctor Fraiser, dismissed."_

Daniel narrowed his eyes, trying to gauge what was going on with Raimi and Janet, but he couldn't see their expressions in the dimly lit briefing room. "General Hammond, if I may?" He asked, gesturing towards his colleagues.


	22. Chapter 22

Janet pressed the call button of the elevator again, a small frown on her forehead the only indication of her frustration. "Let's take the stairs, Colonel," she all but ordered the commander of SG-22.

"Yes Doctor," Bryan Raimi replied, swiftly turning on his heels and signaling the SFs accompanying them to follow suit. Grabbing his radio, he wordlessly handed it over to the petite CMO as Reynolds had requested. "Mr. Teal'c is operating the blowtorch and Colonel Reynolds requested I'd escort you and your people to the General's quarters before joining him on level eighteen, if that is alright with you, Doctor Fraiser."

"Of course," Janet nodded, placing the radio in her coat pocket. Hearing someone running down the corridors behind them, she glanced over her shoulder before swiping her access card to enter the stairwell.

"Janet, wait up!" Daniel exclaimed, a little out of breath from his sprint with Alisen Brightman on his heels.

Pushing open the door, she paused and waited for them to catch up. "What is it, Daniel? Aren't you supposed to continue the briefing?"

"We," he gestured between him and Doctor Brightman as he tried to catch his breath, "figured you could use some help. Nyan was taking over for me."

"And you had already explained everything to General Hammond," Alisen chimed in.

Bryan frowned and pushed open the door to the stairwell further. "Doc?"

Just as Janet was about to answer, the radio in her pocket crackled and Colonel Reynolds' voice sounded.  _"Raimi, Fraiser?"_

"This is Doctor Fraiser," she replied, holding the walkie one hand. "Colonel Raimi told me you needed my assistance."

" _Yeah Doc, we're almost through the door. But the SFs just saw Judson at the gym attacking Noel."_

Janet nodded in response, trying to think of what to do. "Alright Colonel. Colonel Raimi will take Doctor Brightman and two SFs with him, while I'll go to the General's quarters. How much longer until you're through the door?"

After a moment of silence, in which she assumed he conferred with Teal'c, he replied.  _"Good. Teal'c says about ten minutes, but we'll need more tranq darts."_

"We're on it, Colonel," she confirmed. "Colonel Raimi will meet you in the gym. Fraiser out."

"Janet, let me help; Jack's my friend," Daniel pleaded with her.

Rolling her eyes, she nodded slowly. "Very well, you could probably help restrain him," she muttered. "You and Colonel Raimi get some zats, in case the tranquilizer darts aren't effective enough or someone misses their shot," she added in a huff, recalling yesterday's events which had shown that not all personnel was as capable with a tranq gun as they were with their P90s or zats – over a dozen darts had been wasted, either by missing their intended target or ended up trampled upon on the floor. "And get some more tranq guns as well."

"Very well," Bryan acknowledged with a curt nod. "You go straight to the gym," he ordered the SFs.

Janet and Alisen ran up the flight of stairs, heading for level twenty-five, with the SFs on their heels, while Daniel and Colonel Raimi went down to the armory on level twenty-eight.

"What kind of sedative did you give General O'Neill the other day?" Janet inquired as they halted on their level. Her eyes widened when Alisen replied and she shook her head, covering her eyes with one hand. "No, that can't have been enough," she muttered. "Over the years he's already built up a resistance, what with his past in black ops and all the off-world missions, not to mention he's infected with this virus as well."

"What are you saying?" Alisen asked, suddenly worried about the rookie mistake she'd made. "His file was in your office and I didn't have time to check it, I thought I'd just give him enough of the standard dose to get him to sleep for about eighteen hours…. That was the only dose present in the cabinet as well."

"Okay, okay," she muttered, contemplating her next move. "That probably means he's been awake for hours, probably woke up some time during the night, damn it. Very well, you go to the gym, I'll take care of this."

Alisen mumbled a "Good luck" before turning into the other corridor, following the SFs that had already gone ahead.

Janet briskly walked towards the General's quarters and was relieved to see Teal'c was still handling the blowtorch. "How's it going?"

Feeling someone tap his shoulder, Teal'c halted and turned off the device. "Doctor Fraiser. My progress is most satisfactory; I estimate we will be able to enter these quarters in three minutes."

"Carry on," she said in a firm tone, turning towards the two male nurses standing to the Jaffa's other side. "Hand me your tranq gun," she ordered, quietly accepting the one thrust towards her and holding up her hand for extra darts. Janet silently calculated that, using the experiences she'd had with other infected males of his size and his medical history, she couldn't hit General O'Neill with more than two darts before risking an overdose.

"I have succeeded," Teal'c announced, placing the device and his protective gear on the floor next to the door. "I require a tranquilizer gun before entering these quarters."

Just as Janet was about to explain about the General's earlier sedative and the maximum number of darts, Daniel ran down the corridor. "Did you get the weapons?"

"One tranq gun and three zats," he replied, handing one of each to Teal'c, keeping one zat himself and gave the last to one of the nurses. "Brightman needed the other two tranq guns."

"I understand," she replied, making a mental note to order more tranquilizer guns in the future and informed them about the two darts max.

Daniel frowned, looking at all the weaponry present and hazarded a guess. "You think Sam is in there, with Jack?"

"Indeed," Teal'c affirmed.

"But why?" He questioned, surprised to see the Jaffa and the doctor raise an inquisitive brow. "Oh! You think she wanted to, er… um, mate with Jack? But why go through all the trouble of breaking into his quarters when she could just assault someone walking around base freely?" He frowned a bit at his own phrasing, but knew they'd understand.

Checking his rifle, Teal'c readied himself. "Did Colonel Carter not hunt down O'Neill when previously infected with the virus of the Touched?"

"Indeed," Janet grinned a bit. "She had plenty of choice back then, too Daniel. General O'Neill is obviously the alpha male her primitive mind desires, just like last time. Don't forget that he's still her commanding officer and she might recognize the hierarchy in your team."

"Like the alpha in a pack," he finished for her, nodding slowly. Now he also understood why there were male nurses instead of SFs present and why Janet hadn't seemed to mind the other two colonels and Brightman leaving. If word got out that Sam had singled Jack out as her mate… at least as nurses the men dealt with confidential incidents all the time, not to mention the awkwardness for his two friends if their coworkers – subordinates, or in Sam's case superiors – found them… in some kind of state of undress.

Checking if everyone was armed, Janet readied herself as well. "Ready?"

"Indeed," Teal'c replied, bursting through the door first.

Daniel winced as Janet, who'd immediately followed the Jaffa, gasped and seemed to freeze. Reluctantly, he stepped inside too, followed closely by the two nurses. "Oh my God," he gaped, his mouth opening and closing as his eyes took in the scenery. The floor was covered with pieces of fabric – which he guessed were the remains of their clothes – and the bedcovers. But what was most shocking, was walking in on his two very  _naked_  friends…  _mating_ , grunting and moaning. Horrified, yet disturbingly fascinated he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from them.

"No," Janet hissed, when Daniel was about to take a step forward and was pleased to see Teal'c holding him back with his arm.

"What?" He whispered loudly, trying to keep one eye on his friends while turning his head in her direction. "Jack's… and Sam… I mean… Janet!" Daniel gestured with his hands, careful not to appear threatening as Jack, who apparently was in full alpha male mode was glaring at them. And yet, the couple continued… coupling. He gulped, his eyes going back to them, and again he found himself strangely fascinated by their behavior. Sam was on her knees, her head resting on her forearms. One of Jack's hands had kept her head pushed down when they'd stumbled in, but now both of his hands were gripping her hips tightly as he continued to thrust into her from behind. Feeling his cheeks burn, Daniel glanced back at Janet and Teal'c. "What if he's… and Sam…" he really didn't want to suggest that maybe it wasn't entirely voluntary as Jack seemed so aggressive, his dark eyes glaring at them while he kept his grip on Sam.

Keeping the rifle trained on them, Janet glanced at Daniel. "Hasn't anyone ever told you not to get between two fighting or mating dogs?" She offered as an explanation, before looking back at the couple. She winced at the General's ferocity, sympathizing with her friend as she tried to decide whether to try and take them out – she didn't have a clear shot as the two continued to move.

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed in a low tone. He aimed his weapon and contemplated his actions; O'Neill looked ready to pounce if they failed to disable him in time. "What of Colonel Carter?"

Hearing his mate's name, Jack growled at the intruders and dug his fingers into her flesh. Using all of his strength, he thrust harder into her willing body, showing them to whom she truly belonged. No one would take her away from him now,  _no one_! He wouldn't allow it and he'd show them their place if they tried! He felt her flesh contact around him and let one hand slide down her slick back, ensuring she stayed low so the intruders could only catch a few glimpses of her naked form, a privilege that belonged only to him, damn it!

Daniel was about to reply when a low keening moan sounded from said woman and her body shook lightly. He instinctively looked away, his face positively burning with embarrassment at witnessing such an intimate moment. His nails fought the sudden itch in his neck again as he felt a jolt of arousal go through his body at the erotic picture in front of him. Narrowing his eyes, he cautiously glanced at the alpha male, taking in his broad shoulders, toned torso and muscled arms. The scent of sex penetrating his nostrils and suddenly he felt the need to find himself a mate… a subservient female like his leader had…

"I'd say she's," Janet was about to make a quip, but decided against it, trying to remain professional in this unusual situation, "done." Keeping her eyes trained on her CO's face, she tried to block out the rest of the surroundings, the smell and sounds and waited for him to… finish, take him down during a weak moment. "Now," she commanded when the General's eyes rolled back and his body jerked. She fired a dart and, from the corner of her eye, saw Teal'c do the same.

Thrusting wildly inside his Samantha's body, he grunted with effort as sweat dripped down his back. Suddenly, Jack felt a sharp pinch in his chest and growled when he saw the cause. His mate yelped, sounding distressed. "Mine," he exclaimed, pulling the dart out with one hand and emptying himself in her body with his other hand on her neck, keeping her still. Steeling himself, he pulled out of her warm body and hauled her up, pulling a similar dart out of her shoulder.

"Again!" Janet hissed, watching him discard the two darts.

Despite the euphoric feeling in his body, Jack tensed and quickly pushed Samantha's body against the wall behind them, throwing the cover she'd been sitting on after her and shielding her body with his own. "Mine," he growled again, eying up the competition.

Seeing one of the darts miss their target as Sam jumped back, Janet gnawed her lip when the General pulled the next one out of his thigh. They couldn't risk another dart as it could lead to an overdose of his system with the other drugs still in his body. "Daniel," she hissed, elbowing the archeologist who seemed to be in some kind of trance – most likely shock at finding their friends like this, she mused.

Startled, he swallowed, shaking his head and looking at her. "What?" Suddenly, he saw something move in the corner of his eye and looked in front of him. "Aah!" He yelped, automatically taking a step back as a  _very_  naked Jack launched himself at him. He'd already seen more than enough of him!

"Oh my," Janet exclaimed when General O'Neill flew past her and he and Daniel tumbled over the floor.

Teal'c shot two darts in succession at Colonel Carter and was pleased to see her stagger back against the wall. Moving to his right, he pushed Doctor Fraiser aside. "O'Neill," he bellowed, pulling on the man's shoulder.

Shrieking, Jack resisted the pull and punched the younger man lying underneath him.

Sam blinked twice, trying to get the daze out of her eyes. Seeing her mate in trouble and the woman nearby, she jumped forward with a screech, trying to defend her male and take out the competition.

Janet swiveled on her feet and without thinking, hit Sam with the butt of her rifle at the alarming sound and her nearing form. Ducking, she grabbed the zat Daniel had dropped and fired at her friend. Seeing her drop to the ground like a sack of potatoes with the electric blue shimmering around her, she let out a breath of relief.

"Samantha's mine," Jack yelled, continuing his assault until he felt a blow to his ribs and fell to the side.

Aiming his zat'nik'tel, Teal'c fired upon the prone body of his friend and commander. "I apologize, O'Neill," he mumbled as the man's body convulsed under the charge of the weapon, before he fell silent. "Daniel Jackson, are you injured?"

"Ah, I'll be fine, I think," he muttered, working his jaw a bit as one of the male nurses helped him up.

Janet cautiously moved between the two bodies on the floor, testing both their pulses and nodding to her nurses. "They're unconscious. Someone get them a gurney and, remember, not a word!"

"Yes Ma'am," the two replied, before running off to find two gurneys.

"Let me take a look at you, Daniel," she added, stepping forward now that she was satisfied Sam and General O'Neill had been disabled.

Rubbing his jaw with one hand and wiping some blood from his lip with the other, he shook his head. "I'm fine, honest."

Teal'c silently handed him his spectacles and glanced at his two friends on the floor. "Doctor Fraiser, would it not be prudent to cover their modesty?"

Janet nodded and moved to the bed to pull off a sheet to cover the General. "Looks like they are definitely both affected by this virus," she muttered, pointing out the obvious as her eyes took in the damage – scratches and bruises mostly – on their bodies.

Grabbing the bedcovers, Teal'c leaned down and gently wrapped Colonel Carter in them, ensuring she was completely snuggled in the material. "Indeed."

Daniel let his eyes roam the room as he wiped his bloody hand on his shirt. Looking down at his jacket, his eyes widened. "Don't tell me that's… that's…"

Following his line of sight, Janet couldn't stop herself from laughing as he discarded his jacket and pointed at the white smear on the front.

"Indeed," Teal'c confirmed, before he too burst out laughing.

Huffing at the deep sound and Janet's melodious laughter, he bent down and cautiously grabbed the jacket by a sleeve and dumped it in Jack's laundry basket. "Eww, that's gross! I'm never going to wear that thing again."

Her laughter subsiding, Janet chuckled softly before turning serious. "Let's just all be happy he… finished with Sam before attacking you," which earned her another huff. Glancing at her watch, she let out a sigh. "My nurses should be back soon and then I can transport them to the infirmary. Obviously the General wasn't sedated as long as we'd hoped," she murmured, throwing another glance at Sam. "I haven't seen a case like this before."

"Like what?" Daniel inquired, suddenly worried by her tone of voice.

"Where they took it this far," she explained, gesturing to the unconscious bodies. "There's a lot of bruising and scratches on them."

"Indeed, it appears as if they were determined to claim one another," Teal'c concurred.

Taking a deep breath, Janet grabbed the walkie from her pocket and lifted it. "Colonel Reynolds, report."

" _We've managed to restrain and sedate Captain Judson and Doctor Brightman is escorting Miss Noel to the infirmary."_

"Is she alright?" She inquired, worried about the blonde PT.

There were a few seconds of silence before the colonel replied again.  _"The Doc isn't certain, it appears Miss Noel is in shock and… well, her clothes were torn. She was too weak or shocked to walk, so she's strapped to a gurney as well."_

"I see," Janet murmured, worried. "I'm waiting for two gurneys before taking General O'Neill and Colonel Carter to the infirmary."

"…  _what? Both of them?"_

"Yes, Colonel Reynolds, I have both of them," she said in no-nonsense tone, daring him to inquire further.

" _Aha… good to know you managed to locate Colonel Carter as well then_ ," he replied, obviously understanding her message.

She nodded sharply and beckoned the two returning nurses inside, stepping aside for the gurneys. "Indeed. I'll meet you in the infirmary. Fraiser out." She looked up as Daniel helped the two men lift the General on a gurney, while Teal'c gently lifted Sam on his own and placed her on her own gurney. "Let's move out," she ordered once they were both strapped securely.

"I shall take point," Teal'c replied solemnly, stepping in front of Colonel Carter's gurney.

"I'll bring up the rear," Daniel added, moving after Jack's body after one last glance around the trashed room.

Janet managed to shove what was left of the door to the quarters in front of the gaping hole and quickly caught up with them, walking besides the gurneys. She'd order one of the SFs to retrieve the equipment and guard the room until there was time to fix the door and its locking mechanism. Now, though, she had patients to attend to.


	23. Chapter 23

Janet looked up from the chart in her hands when the door to the exam room opened. She lowered her gaze when she recognized the nurse and checked off the saliva sample she'd just taken from her patient. Clipping the pen back onto the chart, she walked up to the bed and grabbed two more swabs. Starting with the face, she collected the dried blood visible on the lower lip and chin.

"Doctor Fraiser?" Holly inquired softly, even though the patient was still sedated and they were the only ones in the room. "I was just wondering if there were any clothing articles?" She asked, holding up the paper bag containing the bedcovers she'd already found.

"No," Janet shook her head after securing the swabs and documenting the location of the dried secretion on a diagram. "Just the covers, nothing else."

She understood immediately and looked over at the other bagged evidence. "How is the exam coming along? You've already been here almost two hours with Colonel Carter."

"I know," she replied, reaching for more swabs. "I've already collected the covers, fingernail clippings, head hair samples, oral swabs and the saliva samples."

"Doctor Brightman was collecting genital swabs," Holly informed her as she watched the CMO pull the white sheets back to take more swabs from the colonel's torso.

Janet nodded her understanding as she placed a moistened gauze pad over a nasty bite mark, allowing the dried blood to be absorbed. "What about Doctor Warner and Lieutenant Rush, Lieutenant?"

"Lieutenant Rush was collecting the dried secretion specimens as well a few minutes ago from Sheri Noel," she replied, her voice a bit unsteady at the image of the assaulted physical therapist, someone she considered a friend. "I believe Doctor Warner is still in surgery."

Bagging more gauze pads and noting their locations, Janet's eyes roamed over her friend's naked body. At times like these it was hard to remain professional, but with the work they did here under the mountain it was even harder not to become attached to the personnel with all the dangers they faced. She'd built more friendships in the past few years at the SGC than she probably had her entire adult life. "Who's he operating on?"

Holly pursed her lips, trying to remember. It wasn't that she wasn't paying attention but there had been so many patients since the quarantine, it was hard to keep track. "I believe it was Captain Simmons, he was attacked by one of the infected Marines earlier."

Janet allowed a soft smile as she thought about Graham Simmons; he was one of few people that actually managed to remain uninjured for several years. The only time he'd been in the infirmary before was when he'd been infected by the orb in the second year of the program. "Is it serious?"

"I'm not sure, Ma'am," she replied.

"What about Major Kearny?"

"Doctor Warner made him as good as new," Holly grinned. "He's recovering in the medical bay."

Having collected samples of all the visible blood and semen, Janet moved the sealed plastic bags to the table which contained the rest of the evidence bags. "That's good," she murmured, adding the last location on the diagram. "Could you give me a hand, Lieutenant?"

Holly nodded and followed her to where the patient lied strapped to the table. "How much longer is she going to remain sedated?"

"I'm not sure," she replied, switching off the lights aimed at Sam's body. "Handle the Wood's lamp, please." Janet reached for more swabs as she waited for the young lieutenant to aim the UV lamp at Sam's thighs. "She received three darts and still managed to attack me."

Watching the CMO collect more samples as some fluorescent areas lit up on the colonel's skin, Holly kept the device steady and frowned. "Because of the naquadah in her blood?"

"Possibly," she muttered. "She didn't go down until I zatted her," Janet admitted, leaving out the part where she'd hit her best friend in the face with a rifle, causing the skin of her cheek to break which had required stitches. "With her medical history it's no surprise she's built up a resistance and combine that with the overproduction of hormones from this infection…"

She nodded, hearing her voice trail off. "What about her cheek?"

"I did an X-ray, there are no fractures, just a nasty cut and some swelling."

"Done?" Holly inquired, as Doctor Fraiser stepped back.

"I need to check her torso and face as well," Janet gestured for Lieutenant Evans to move the lamp and examined the rest of the body. Finding more stains, she quickly took some samples, bagged and sealed them. Once she was done, she told the lieutenant to check if Doctor Brightman and Nurse Rush needed the Wood's lamp and see if they needed her to assist with it. Within seconds, she found herself alone with Sam again. The situation was humiliating enough already, her friend certainly didn't need a bunch of subordinates present during this particular exam, let alone them knowing all the details of what had happened between her and General O'Neill.

Janet sighed as she reached for a comb, forcing herself to only see her patient and not her friend as she started collecting pubic hairs. As she continued the thorough examination, Janet mused about the fallout of the events from this infection. She doubted any of this would blow over soon. It was why she had requested Alisen to tend to General O'Neill instead of Sheri Noel. Not because the PT was less important or anything, but because this was a  _very_  sensitive situation and though she trusted her personnel, she preferred to hand the General over to one of her doctors instead of a nurse. In all honesty, she would have preferred doing the exam herself, making sure everything was done properly and keeping the people aware of the situation to a minimum. However, considering the General's earlier sedation, the two tranq darts and him being zatted she couldn't predict how long he'd be out. The same went for Sam and when push came to shove, Janet had chosen to stay with her friend and minimize the awkwardness of this exam.

For every infected patient and their victims a rape kit had been ordered just to err on the side of caution, so the infirmary personnel had become quite skilled at it. Janet had wanted to object when the order had been given, as she couldn't force anyone to undergo a rape kit if they refused. However, she'd been overruled by her superiors, who insisted that this would be for the best. After all, the infection had left its suffers unable to consent,  _thus_  it was rape. These type of exams had to be performed within seventy-two hours before any evidence would degrade and since there was no cure in sight yet – thus no assent could be given – she had been forced to do this. Luckily for all involved, most of the patients were sedated by the time they were brought up to the infirmary, making it easier for the medical personnel to perform these rape kits. Still, she felt uneasy doing this without her patient's consent.

Unfortunately several kits had already come back positive, but so far there had only been vaginal penetration. Janet was hoping that, knowing the primitive urges included procreation, there would be no anal penetration, making the exam less invasive for the male patients. Of course the same went for the female patients, but their exams were already intrusive enough with the vaginal exams.

Jotting down some notes, Janet collected some genital swabs and smears, and lubricated the speculum with saline to collect two cervical smears. After preparing the smears on microscopic slides, she sprayed them with a cytological fixative and allowed them to air dry for five minutes as she updated the chart and Sam's medical file. She labeled the slides, sealed them and placed them with the other collected evidence before she made a mold of one of the bite marks on Sam. Considering the nature of the situation as well as the mental state of her patients, Janet had opted against photographic evidence of the injuries, instead using the diagram to note their locations. For the bite marks she'd decided a mold would have to be sufficient evidence.

After all, she doubted any of the evidence she had collected would end up in court somewhere. It was a mere precaution or, more likely, an attempt by the higher ups and or the IOA to cover their asses in case of fallout. And fallout there would be, she mused as she took two tubes of blood, effectively ending her exam. Even with everything that had happened at the SGC, there was no way for even these trained soldiers to cope with what had happened without there being any form of fallout. Most of the involved personnel was married or in some kind of relationship after all – and not with each other. Once her team would manage to cure them – and she wouldn't allow anyone to doubt that they would – the patients would probably have to remain in the mountain to recover from their more obvious injuries. Not to mention the emotional trauma… she had a feeling that MacKenzie and Hutchinson would be working overtime when this was over. She doubted the hard-assed soldiers that had been affected by this would all be able to deal with what had happened on their own.

"Oh Sam," she murmured, brushing her friend's bangs out of her face. "Sorry about your cheek," she murmured, grimacing at the swelling and the stitches, even though it had been done excellently – even if she said so herself. "You've definitely been put through the wringer," Janet added, with one last glance over the injuries. She had seen many patients, but she was pretty sure no one had as many cuts and bruises as Sam and General O'Neill – from what she'd seen in his room – had.

A loud knock had her head snapping up. No one was supposed to disturb her, unless it was a fellow doctor or Lieutenant Evans, whom she had assigned to keep her up to date and help out where she could now that the three doctors working the dayshift had all been with patients. "Who is it?"

"Doctor Fraiser, it is I," Teal'c's voice sounded through the door.

Frowning, Janet made sure Sam's body was covered before she walked to the other side of the room and opened the door. "Teal'c, how can I help you?"

"It is I who wishes to offer you assistance, need you require it, Doctor Fraiser," Teal'c solemnly replied.

"That's very kind of you, but I'm not sure-"

"Does not Colonel Carter require proper clothing after you have completed your examination?" He interrupted her, offering her the folded clothing worn by medical staff in his hands.

Janet took the scrubs from him and nodded slowly. "Thank you, that's very thoughtful."

"Indeed."

"I was just about to call for some help to get her dressed," she mused aloud, pursing her lips together.

Teal'c raised a silent eyebrow. "Perhaps I can be of assistance."

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea," Janet replied, before the Jaffa gently pushed her aside and entered the room. "Teal'c-"

Taking the clothing he had offered in his own hands, he walked over to his friend. "Would it not be beneficial to Colonel Carter if one person she trusts were to help you, instead of several of your staff?"

Debating with herself, she shrugged. She knew Sam trusted Teal'c with her life and he was right, he'd already seen her in the General's quarters. Yet, she wasn't sure if Sam would want her team to see her like this now. Suddenly, Janet frowned, watching as the Jaffa put Sam upright, ignoring her uncovered body and slipping the scrubs effortlessly over her upper body. In one smooth move, he lifted her from the table and Janet quickly helped him put the pants on Sam's lower body.

Teal'c swooped his arm under Colonel Carter's knees once she was completely dressed and held her in his arms, awaiting further instructions.

Janet hastily collected the white paper Sam had been lying on and, making sure no evidence was lost, placed it in a paper bag. "Wait a minute," she suddenly spoke up, after writing down some extra notes on the evidence logs. "You've done this before, haven't you?" She narrowed her eyes at Teal'c, recalling the moment then-Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c had brought Sam into the infirmary seven years ago. She'd been dressed in similar scrubs, courtesy to the two men after they'd found her with her clothes in tatters. Or so they'd claimed… "And you didn't seem particularly shocked when we suspected Sam was in General O'Neill's quarters."

"Neither were you, Doctor Fraiser," Teal'c said with a small bow of his head.

"But you didn't seem surprised at all about anything that happened," she countered, even though she realized it was hard to tell one emotion from the other when it came to the large Jaffa.

Gently replacing Colonel Carter on the table, Teal'c clasped his hands behind his back. "When previously infected with the virus of the Touched, Colonel Carter sought out O'Neill as her mate. He is now commander of the entire base and thus of even higher ranking than before as is Colonel Carter herself," he calmly explained.

"Hmm," Janet huffed, doubting he was telling her the entire truth. Even for the SGC it was just too much of a coincidence for her liking. "I see," she added, knowing the Jaffa would never tell her anything he didn't want to.

"Indeed," he acknowledged, unwilling to divulge the events from seven years ago. "Doctor Brightman completed her physical examination of O'Neill as well."

"That's good," she murmured, recognizing a change of subject when she heard one. "And the General is still sedated?"

"Indeed."

Janet nodded thoughtfully, her eyes darting back to Sam. "Teal'c, would you mind getting Sam into an isolation room?"

"I do not."

* * *

Sipping on her coffee, Alisen stood up when Janet Fraiser walked in. "I figured I'd wait here for you," she explained sheepishly, gesturing to encompass the CMO's office in which they were now both standing.

"Teal'c told me you finished your exam on General O'Neill," Janet replied, closing the door behind her and moving to take her seat at the desk.

"Yes, there were no signs of penetration," she informed her boss as she sat back down. "There was dried bodily fluids on his body, as well as cuts and bruises. Most cuts appeared to have been made by sharp nails that dug  _really_  deep into his skin."

Janet nodded, stashing Sam's file in her cabinet. "Yes, I found blood and tissue under Sam's nails. I scraped them and took some clippings for analysis."

"How is Colonel Carter?"

She shrugged and reached for the coffee pot and a mug. "There was no major physical trauma, but emotionally…"

"Yeah," Alisen understood and reached for the chair beside her. "These are my notes for General O'Neill."

Janet took them and glanced over them, satisfied that he too seemed in relative good health. "Teal'c has placed Colonel Carter in isolation and I've hooked up some IVs for her dehydration and lack of proper nutrition." That was all she was going to say about Sam's condition, Janet mused. Once her friend was back to normal, they would discuss the trauma her body had sustained, but there was no need to inform Alisen – or any other doctor – about them at this moment, since she was expected to make a full recovery without much help.

"General O'Neill was slightly dehydrated as well," she acknowledged. "I have posted an SF outside of his room, to inform us when he awakes."

"The other patients?"

"They've been fed and most of them are resting, although I had to sedate Major Johnson again as he was injuring himself by banging against the walls. Doctor Warner rushed back into surgery with one of his patients, who ripped his own stitches out," Alisen reported succinctly.

Grimacing, Janet leaned back and took a sip of coffee. "What about the test results?"

"We're still awaiting the results for the last five teams, but so far you were right; all the infected were indeed previously infected with the Touched virus."

"How many of those last teams were infected?"

Alisen sighed and refilled her cup. "Six, including Doctor Jackson. But with his allergies… besides, he was feeling fine when I saw him last."

Suppressing a yawn, Janet lazily stretched her short frame. "When was that?"

"After I finished up with General O'Neill, he wanted to see how the General was doing. He said he and his colleagues were making progress with their research; apparently Airman Ryan had filmed some writing in a temple on their tour-"

"Aha," Janet interrupted her, holding up her hand. She was fighting fatigue and she wasn't interested in the details at the moment, not until Daniel would come up with something that would lead them to a cure. "Have you had dinner?" She questioned as her stomach grumbled.

"Actually, I was waiting for you. I figured you'd be in as much need of food as I am, after the long day we've had."

She chuckled, slowly getting up from her chair. "I just want to check on Sheri Noel and get an update from Warner before we leave for the commissary."


	24. Chapter 24

Janet briskly strode through the corridors on level twenty-one. Technically, the day shift was almost over but she felt compelled to check up on her latest patients, namely General O'Neill, Colonel Carter, Captain Judson and the assault victims in the medical bay. She was hoping Warner was done in the OR as well, as he'd been grumpy when she'd checked on him before going to dinner. With her managing the infirmary and sharing command of the base with Colonel Reynolds, there wasn't any time left for her to help the surgeon take some of his case load. Alisen Brightman wasn't qualified to perform surgeries and neither was MacKenzie, a psychiatrist who was  _also_  qualified to practice general medicine like Brightman, which was very useful in situations like these. Still, with only one surgeon on base, she needed Warner well-rested in case more attacks would take place tonight, tomorrow or the following days.

She came to a halt when she noticed Teal'c standing guard in front of one of the isolation rooms. "Teal'c, aren't you supposed to be helping Colonel Reynolds?"

"If he requires my assistance, he shall contact me by radio. In the meantime, I shall remain here," he replied solemnly.

Understanding, Janet nodded and looked at him questioningly. "Is General O'Neill still sedated?"

"It appears so," Teal'c stated succinctly, as he had opened the shutter to check on the Tau'ri mere moments ago. "Colonel Carter was in a similar state."

She silently ushered the large Jaffa out of the way and stood on her toes so she could take a look for herself. Grimacing, her brown eyes took the base commander in from head to toe. For the moment, he was still strapped to the gurney Alisen had placed him on earlier. "I'm hopeful he will remain unconscious for a few more hours," she muttered to herself, grabbing the chart hanging next to the wall to check his vitals and recent notes. "I want to get a closer look on those abrasions on his elbows and check his knees," she informed the Jaffa. "You want to give me a hand?"

"Indeed," he dipped his head respectfully, pleased he could assist in the care of his friends.

"I'll be right back," she warned him, quickly walking the rest of the distance to the infirmary. The full charts and more confidential information was kept and updated at the workstation in the infirmary, while the complete medical history was stored in her office and also electronically accessible via the computer for medical personnel with the right clearance. The charts near the doors of the isolation room, or those at the foot of the beds in the medical bay, only contained information about the patient's vitals, current medication, pre- and post-mission physicals and allergy information. The fuller workups at the workstation included blood work, recent test results, scans and more confidential information, like current treatments and physical examinations.

Janet quickly surveyed the infirmary and then moved on to the workstation, pushing open the door absentmindedly as she reached for her access card. "Oh, hello Doctor Warner," she greeted the gray-haired surgeon who was sitting at the large table, doing his paperwork.

"Doctor Fraiser," he replied, giving her a curt nod before going back to the file in front of him.

Seeing he was focused on his work, she made her way to the other side of the room, swiped her access card through the reader and entered the right pass code for the file cabinet. The display indicated access was granted and she quickly pulled out General O'Neill's file. After closing the cabinet, she made her way to the table and sat down, browsing through the latest notations made by Alisen. If her own estimations were correct, Janet figured she had a few more hours until the base commander would wake and decided that she might as well treat some of his smaller injuries now. She repeated the process for Captain Judson's file as well as Sheri Noel, just to keep herself informed on all the patients in her care. Once she placed the files back in the cabinets, she turned to her colleague. "How did your operation go?"

"It went fine, mostly damage control and of course I had to suture up the wound again," he muttered.

She nodded pensively, hoping the same wouldn't happen with Sam. After all, she had done a great job on her friend's cheek and if, in her primitive state of mind, Sam would try to pull them out manually… "How will you prevent this from happening again?"

"I used absorb-able sutures this time and instructed the nurses to place him in a straight jacket, hopefully that will work. The nurses will check on him later tonight and if he does manage to pull them, I'll see about a different solution."

Janet regarded Warner for a moment, thinking about his patient. "He's sedated now?"

"He's still knocked out by the anesthetics," he confirmed curtly. "What about you, Doctor Fraiser? The dayshift is almost over…"

She shrugged, automatically glancing at the clock on the wall. "I just wanted to check on the newest patients," she gestured towards the cabinet, indicating that was why she'd been checking out the files. "We're still waiting for the results of the last five teams, hopefully they'll come in later tonight or in the morning at their latest."

"Yes, I heard General O'Neill and Colonel Carter were infected as well." Seeing the CMO raise her brows in surprise, he nodded slowly. "The Jaffa was guarding one of the isolation rooms, he told me when I asked why he was there."

"I see," Janet replied. She'd hoped to keep the names of the infected out of the grapevine as much as possible, so she hadn't expected the somewhat aloof surgeon to know as he'd been spending most of his shift in the OR. "Have you finished your rounds, Doctor Warner?" She inquired politely; even though they had both been working here for years, they had never really progressed to calling each other by their first names. Warner was very professional, if a tad arrogant at times and convinced he was right most of the time in certain situations. But that was no different from most surgeons she'd worked with over the years and she did respect the man, was even convinced the respect was mutual. Yet she could understand his attitude at times too; he was older, more experienced in his field and still she was in charge of the infirmary and thus his boss.

Scrawling some last notes on the chart, he rose from his chair and walked over to the file cabinet. "Yes, as a matter of fact I am," he used his card and pass code to place the file in the cabinet, before turning back to her. "I was just about to leave. Unless you need some assistance?" He asked a bit reluctant.

"Actually, I was hoping to go over the situation one more time, when Doctors Brightman and MacKenzie get here. Discuss the latest treatments, patients and take a look at the recent test results, maybe together we can find a cure," she informed him, walking over to the door.

"Well, they should be here within twenty minutes."

Janet gave a nod of acknowledgment, her hand on the handle of the door. "I'll check on my patients and be right back."

"Alright, I'll make a new pot of coffee while I wait," he muttered.

Smiling, she opened the door, went to a medicine cabinet and took what she needed, called Lieutenant Evans for assistance, before returning to the General's room. Teal'c was still standing there, greeting them with a slight bow. "I just want you in there with us to keep an eye on General O'Neill while we treat him, Teal'c."

"I shall keep both eyes on O'Neill, Doctor Fraiser."

Holly chuckled softly at the Jaffa's reply and waited for the CMO to unlock the door. "Looks like the General is still out cold, Ma'am," she said, following both of them inside the isolation room.

Janet nodded as Teal'c took up position near the General. "Check the abrasions on his elbows, Lieutenant," she ordered, pulling up the legs of the General's scrub pants to look at his knees.

"The epidermis is damaged, probably due to friction or chafing," Holly informed the doctor. Unwrapping a sterile gauze pad, she pressed it against the broken skin. "No bleeding."

"Is the wound clean?" She inquired, not commenting on the cause of the burn – although she had a pretty good idea, having seen similar markings on Sam. "Doctor Brightman had left instructions for the wounds to be cleaned, but there were no notes on that," Janet added in a disapproving tone. Just because they were all working overtime and were stretched thin, didn't mean the nurses didn't have to follow up on medical instructions from doctors.

Holly gently probed the skin, adjusted the position of the General's arm to get more light and shrugged. "I don't see any fibers or other particles, but I'll clean them anyway," she offered, looking up at the doctor who was examining the patient's knees.

"Make sure to add some antiseptic cream and don't dress the wounds afterwards; it's not necessary for the healing process and he'll probably tear it off anyway," Janet ordered, as she poked and prodded the man's knee. Alisen had noted there was some broken skin and slight swelling for both knees. She herself almost knew General O'Neill's full medical history by heart, since he'd visited her infirmary  _many_  times during his command of the flagship team and wanted to make sure he hadn't injured his knees again. There appeared to be some fluid buildup and the swelling was more pronounced by now, which had Janet shaking her head.

With a quick exam of the rest of him, she reached for an IV. "I'm going to administer some fluids and give him something for his knees," she mumbled, hanging the bag on a pole attached to the stretcher he was lying on and hooking it up via a needle in the back of his hand. Reaching for the medicine she had taken with her, she also administered the anti-inflammatory agent to minimize damage to the joints.

"Yes Ma'am."

Satisfied everything was in order, Janet quickly checked to see how the lieutenant was doing with the elbows and nodded. "Make sure to do his knees as well and take his vitals. Teal'c, could you stay here with Lieutenant Evans? Just as a precaution."

"Indeed," Teal'c inclined his head.

"I have to get back to meet the other doctors," she informed them and, receiving a nod of acknowledgment from both, turned around and opened the door again. Once in the corridor, she quickly closed the heavy door and reached for the chart next to it. She made notes of what she'd just done, before hanging the clipboard back on its hooks and made her way to the infirmary.

* * *

Daniel went over his last notes one more time while the elevator was going down to the infirmary. When the doors opened, he walked over to the medical bay but the place was suspiciously empty of medical doctors. He was about to turn around and ask one of the nurses where Janet was, when Captain Escher lying in one of the infirmary beds caught his attention.

"Looking for the Doc, Daniel?" Michael inquired in a croak, before clearing his throat. "I think she's in there with the other doctors," he motioned towards the room behind the workstation with his good hand.

"Ah… yes," he bobbed his head, scratching his neck absentmindedly. "How are you doing, Michael?"

He shrugged, careful not to move his head to much as he had a slight concussion. "I'll be fine. At least I'm not the one in isolation, like Casey and the rest."

"That's very… true," Daniel agreed. "Well, I should go see if Janet is still in there. You take care!" He made an awkward wave with his free hand at those in the medical bay, holding his notebook in the other before turning around. When he reached the workstation, he could see some shadows behind the blinds of the window looking into the room and tried the handle. Surprised it was unlocked, he assumed there wasn't an official gathering and opened the door. "Ah, hello," he greeted, when Doctor Warner stopped talking and gave him a pointed look. "Is this a bad time? I just wanted to talk to Janet."

"It's okay, come on in," Janet beckoned him inside. "We were just discussing the outbreak."

"Isn't Doctor Jackson one of the few people whose test results we don't have yet?" Eric MacKenzie inquired cautiously.

Daniel frowned as he closed the door behind him. "I'm fine, honest."

"Doctor Jackson was actually one of few who was already taking antihistamines before the Touched virus," Alisen Brightman informed the psychiatrist. "He only got infected because he ran out of medication once he was abducted on the planet, but with his medication there is a very small chance the organism survived afterwards and he got re-infected this time."

"Thank you," he muttered under his breath. "So, you're all sure this only infects those previously infected then?" That would go perfectly with his recent findings of the material SG-6 had brought back, including some pictures of old ruins he'd been able to translate.

Alisen nodded and gestured towards Doctor Warner. "Doctor Warner was just expressing his disbelief that it took us so long to find the connection."

"Well, we have both been working at the infirmary since the first outbreak. You would think either of us would have realized this and save us all a lot of trouble," the older man mumbled, glancing at the CMO.

Janet took a deep breath and opened the folder in front of her. "I won't deny that is true, but there was actually something Alisen found that confirmed that theory," she moved the file over the table to Warner.

"What is this? Norman Walter Davis Harriman… is this Chief Master Sergeant Harriman's file?"

"Yes. Do you remember Doctor Nimiziki?"

Daniel shuddered as he recalled how he found the dead doctor in one of the quarters in the beginning of the program – most likely killed by Kawalsky who had been infested by a Goa'uld – and quickly sat down in a chair, looking at Warner who was checking out the file Janet had given him.

"Of course, he was the interim-chief until the Air Force could find a suitable replacement if they decided to continue with the SGC – he was killed before you got here."

Janet nodded slowly and took a quick sip of water before continuing with her explanation. "Yes and I don't know if you're aware of his filing method?" She questioned, holding Warner's gaze.

"He  _had_  a method?"

MacKenzie and Warner both chuckled at the latter's joke, both having work experience with the young doctor, despite the seriousness of the situation and the man's untimely death.

"I would like to think so," she replied slowly, "but I haven't been able to make heads or tails of it. Either way, administratively speaking his work was chaotic and the worst part was that some of the nurses he had assigned to the SGC had worked with him previously and had adapted his 'method'," Janet made air quotes and sighed. "In short; I had to reorganize everything and re-educate most of the nurses. Apparently, it took some a while before they got it right and the file you're looking at is one that had been misfiled."

"Once I was searching the medical database," Alisen gestured towards he computer, "and used all kinds of key word combinations, I found different files belonging to CMSgt Harriman, filed under different names."

"Well, he does have a lot of them," Daniel commented, blinking innocently when all eyes turned to him. "What? It's true. Walter told me once he had lots of mix ups with his names, he even got the wrong name tags from the Air Force and I'm pretty sure he walked around in a uniform labeled 'Davis' once or twice."

Janet huffed, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Anyway, when we went looking into the medical reports from the affected personnel, his file didn't show up at first as it turned out to be misfiled under one of his other names."

"I guess it's a good thing Doctor Brightman dug a little deeper then," Daniel praised the young doctor's efforts.

"Janet asked me to," Alisen replied modestly, blushing a bit under the murmurs of consent from her peers. "Oh," she gasped, reaching into her pocket when her pager went off. "Hmm, looks like Technical Sergeant Westerholm is causing trouble again," she sighed with an eye roll.

Seeing her questioning look, Janet nodded. "Yes, go, try and see if you can calm her down. I believe we're all done here anyway. That means the infirmary is all yours," she gave Alisen and Doctor MacKenzie a pointed look.

"She's probably trying to break down the walls or the door again, to find a mate," Alisen mumbled, quickly getting up.

Daniel stood as well, grabbing Janet's forearm. "Janet? I came by here to let you know what I've found so far… I have a theory, but I'm not sure yet and would like to hear your thoughts about it."

"Ah, okay," she assented, suppressing a yawn. "My office or yours?" She asked, opening the door. She figured that he would normally bounce his ideas off Sam, but since she wasn't available right now, Janet decided she would take their mutual friend's place. "Do you need my medical opinion as well?"

"Yes, possibly. Let's go to my office, I'll show you."

Janet followed him, still fighting her fatigue and stretched her small frame once they were in the elevator. Feeling his eyes on her, she blushed. "Sorry, it's just been a very long day for me. A long week, actually."

"That's okay," Daniel replied, his eyes giving her a quick onceover before the car stopped at level eighteen and he led the way to his office.

"It's a bit dark in here," Janet mumbled, her eyes still adjusting to the change in lighting from the brightly lit corridor to the dimly lit office of the archeologist. "It's not good for your eyes to work with so little light," she gently admonished him, gesturing towards the small desk light that was giving the only illumination.


	25. Chapter 25

In the corridors of level twenty-one, Teal'c sat cross-legged on the floor in between the doors to the isolation rooms holding O'Neill and Colonel Carter. Once Lieutenant Evans had completed her treatment of O'Neill – who remained sedated – and the medical caretaker left for the infirmary, he had taken up residence in the corridor. At the moment his assistance was not required, yet he felt obligated to aid his Tau'ri friends. If he could not be of service in their search for a cure, he would ensure O'Neill and Colonel Carter remained unharmed and were well taken care of. A communications device was attached to his belt in case Colonel Reynolds required assistance while he remained guarding the rooms which held his friends.

Although he questioned the effectiveness of implementing regulations prohibiting fraternization amongst warriors, Teal'c recognized their existence and respected his Tau'ri friends for abiding them despite the obvious amorous feelings O'Neill and Colonel Carter harbored for one another. Yet, with the current situation he felt conflicted and unsure of how to proceed. As it had several years ago, this new infection had made it apparent the two warriors felt an attraction towards the other and he was unsure of the outcome. For now, Stargate Command was housing far more personnel than it had in the beginning when he had joined the Tau'ri on Earth in their war against the Goa'uld. The first time this happened, nearly all personnel had been infected and thankfully, no one had a clear memory of their actions and other events afterwards.

No one but himself had known –  _remembered –_  what had truly transpired. Out of respect to his new teammates – a concept still foreign to him at the time – he had decided not to remind them of what they had done. Of how he had found them in the abandoned corridors of Stargate Command. Spent, naked and in each other's embrace in the unfinished personnel quarters. Once he had been accepted as a member of SG-1, he had been taught the rules and regulations applying to Stargate Command and thus he had been aware of the compromising position he had found the two warriors in.

O'Neill was now commanding the base and Colonel Carter had an even more prominent position than before. Less than half of the personnel was now infected and although Teal'c was unsure of the specifics, he knew the number of personnel had grown at least five times since the first infection. He was aware of the precautions Doctor Fraiser had taken with their capture and subsequent treatment, yet he feared the truth could no longer be concealed. He had worked at Stargate Command for eight years now and the Tau'ri were fond of spreading unverified information – be it based on truth or fiction – even if it could harm others.

Teal'c did not doubt Doctor Fraiser or Daniel Jackson would find a cure for the infected personnel, but he wondered what the result of the disease and the sedatives would be this time. Should he inform them if O'Neill and Colonel Carter – as well as the others – would not remember what they had done? Perhaps Doctor Fraiser felt obligated to report the events to her superiors – General Hammond, the President of the United States – and inform her patients as much as she could, regardless of the consequences. O'Neill would most likely insist on viewing the visual recordings to recall the events – technology that had not yet been installed seven years ago.

He was certain O'Neill would attempt to protect Colonel Carter from what had happened between them as well as the possible consequences, as he had always done so. Doctor Fraiser would too, if she was able, yet she was now in command and forced to report her findings to General Hammond. Even if influence of an alien virus would suffice for their superiors, Teal'c was unsure of the other, more  _personal_  consequences to his friends. Especially Colonel Carter, who was betrothed to Pete Shanahan and had been planning their union these past few weeks.

It had not taken Teal'c long to notice the underlying attraction between O'Neill and Colonel Carter in the beginning. Discovering they had acted upon said attraction within the first few weeks while under the influence of an alien virus, had not been a surprise to him. Nor had he been surprised to see their feelings grow with the years. Unlike the Tok'ra Anise and Freya, he had not been shocked by O'Neill and then-Major Carter's admission of feelings during the zatarc incident. He suspected Doctor Fraiser had not either. He found it admirable his Tau'ri friends abided by their military's rules and regulations, even if they did not seem effective to him. Then again, these fraternization regulations had existed for three decades, obviously the Tau'ri of this world had much to learn about matters of the heart. Unfortunately, they did not have the time nor the lifespan of a Jaffa to gain such wisdom.

Now he felt conflicted about his course of action once his friends had been cured. He had entered a mild state of kelno'reem to contemplate this matter, wondering how it would affect O'Neill and Colonel Carter if they would not remember and yet inquire about their actions. How it would affect Colonel Carter's personal life. Teal'c did not agree with her choice of sim'ka and thought of Pete Shanahan as unworthy for a such a loyal, intelligent, fierce and beautiful warrior as Colonel Carter. Yet, he did not think it was his place to intervene in the personal lives of his friends as her and O'Neill both seemed to have made their choices. He was still unsure whether to think O'Neill was honorable for letting Colonel Carter go despite his feelings for her, far  _too_  honorable or downright foolish…

Hearing a sound coming from behind one of the doors, Teal'c raised a brow and opened his eyes. It was coming from the isolation room holding Colonel Carter. He raised himself off the floor to stand in one smooth move and opened the shutter in the door. Frowning, he turned back and gestured to one of the SFs. "You, alert Doctor Brightman or Doctor Warner that Colonel Carter has regained consciousness."

* * *

Sam awoke with a start, finding herself strapped to a gurney. Growling, she struggled in the holds. She blinked at the bright lights, trying to focus on what was attached to her hand. They had inserted something in her! A big pole stood next to the bed, several bags hanging on it and they were connected to her! Moving her hands, she hissed as pain shot through her hand. She pulled harder, trying to loosen the holds on her wrists and feet but it was to no avail. Her head whipped around, trying to see her surroundings.

A strange yet familiar smell was hanging in the enclosed space. The clothes on her body smelled the same and she struggled harder, desperate to get loose and find her mate. He wasn't here with her. She fleetingly recalled the intruders and the fight that ensued. The woman in the coat had smelled like this room and these clothes, and she'd hit her!

Panting, Sam tried to calm herself. She used her nose, trying to get past the distinctive smell to pick up the scent of her mate. Where was he? What had they done to him? She grimaced when she heard noises outside her room and hissed when it sent a sharp pain through her cheek. Closing her eyes and focusing on her face, she realized her cheek was hurting. It was throbbing and the skin ached. The woman… she'd wanted her mate and had shot at her!

Sam growled as the door opened and the large man from before stormed in. What did he want from her? Didn't he know to whom she belonged? How dare he abduct her and take her away from her mate! Obviously he didn't know his place…

"Colonel Carter, please calm yourself," Teal'c requested upon reaching her. However, she continued trashing on the gurney. He took a firm grip of her lower left arm and held it in place as he removed the IV from the back of her hand.

As soon as he had removed it, Sam pulled on her restraints with all her power. "Argh!" She growled as he pressed his free hand on her chest and pushed her back flat against the bed. Pain shot through her body as she moved, trying to escape the pressure and get out of the holds. Her body felt bruised and sore as she twisted around.

"I do not wish to harm you," he spoke solemnly, glancing over his shoulder awaiting the arrival of one of the doctors. Colonel Carter's chest was heaving from exertion as she continued to struggle and he pressed harder, trying to keep her from harming herself.

Writhing under his hand, she managed to twist her body and bite his arm with the hand holding her wrist. "Mmph!"

"What's going on?"

Still glaring in discomfort, Teal'c nursed his injured wrist. "Colonel Carter bit my wrist in her attempt to escape, Doctor Warner," he informed the man as he entered the room.

He raised his brows in surprise, throwing a quick glance at the patient – who looked very pleased with herself and even a bit triumphant – he neared the Jaffa. "Let me see."

Reluctantly, he allowed the medical doctor to examine the wound. "I will be fine, it is Colonel Carter who needs your assistance."

Warner nodded and, understanding the Jaffa was right as he was using tretonin, moved to the gurney. "Colonel Carter, please calm down," he muttered. "If you don't stop trashing around, you'll injure yourself."

"She does not appear capable of rational thinking, Doctor Warner," Teal'c commented with a sad undertone as he regarded the woman he thought of as a sister.

* * *

"Oh, I don't even notice it anymore," Daniel mumbled, beckoning her over. "Have a seat," he suggested as he moved a stack of books to make room for her.

Janet sat down as he gestured towards the seat and scooted closer to his desk. The surface was littered with pictures and notes attached to them. Obviously he'd been working hard on this. "So, what can you tell me?"

"Huh? Oh right," he nodded, lifting his glasses to rub his eyes. He found it hard to focus with her so near and blinked several times at the files in front of him. "Well, like I said there are several similarities with the Minoan culture and some of the architecture looks the same as what we encountered on P3X-797. Ah, the Land of Light."

"I see," she murmured, glancing at some of the pictures. Feeling his eyes on her, she looked up. "Daniel?"

Clearing his throat, he grabbed one of the pictures nearest to him. He frowned, glancing at it. "Yes, this seems to be the traditional clothing of the natives. The loincloths for the men and the robes and jackets for the women is something we know from how they used to dress in Ancient Greece. And some of it seems somewhat similar to that of Tuplo and his people, only a bit more… exposing."

"Is there anything that can help us with what's going on?" Janet inquired, suppressing another yawn.

"Well, it seems sexes mixed as equals, like I suspected," Daniel gestured to another photograph. "And this," he grabbed one picturing a statue near the ruins, "shows the bull again. Which we know is very important in Minoan culture, but we don't know why exactly."

Placing her elbow on the table, Janet rested her head on her hand as he continued his explanation. "What about the ruins?" She winced, wondering why she'd asked as he launched off another explanation.

"… and those functions I was talking about? Well, it looks like-"

"Daniel?" She interrupted him, too tired to look apologetic about it. "Anything medical relevant?" Seeing him smile at her, she frowned. "What?"

He shook his head, once again trying to focus. "Well, like you said; you spoke to Maru who seemed to be the healer. But nothing on the ruins speaks of great illnesses or epidemics even, with the exception of some ancient tales."

Summoning her last reserves of energy, Janet sat up a bit straighter and leaned over the table to read the notes attached to one of the pictures he indicated. Some of the lines hadn't been completely translated but she definitely recognized some of the symptoms as what she was seeing in her infirmary! "Interesting," she mumbled, getting to her feet to get a closer look. She grabbed the picture next to it, amazed by the similarities in behavior. "Obviously they went through something similar, but they were cured. Or at least some weren't infected," she concluded. Not hearing anything, she glanced over her shoulder and found Daniel standing right behind her. "Ah… I mean, otherwise there would have been no one left to write it down. Daniel?"

"Hmm?" He murmured, canting his head slightly as he scratched his neck. Her brown hair had a somewhat red glow over it because of the dim lighting and he found himself wanting to touch it. Tearing his eyes from her hair, he found her dark brown eyes aimed at him. "Yes," he agreed with her, unsure what she'd been saying as he'd been studying her while she'd been going over everything.

Janet silently wondered if her tired mind was playing tricks on her or maybe he was just tired – and thus a bit absent – too. Turning back to the notes, she was surprised when she felt his hand on her shoulder. "Daniel?" She questioned as he exerted more pressure and his other hand came up too. "What's going on?" She quickly took a few steps back until her back hit a bookcase and he simply followed her. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw the red scratches on his neck and Janet silently berated herself for not paying attention to the symptoms. She'd just been reading about them for God's sake! "Just… calm down," she said in a soothing tone, wondering who she was talking to; herself or him?

Before she could say or do anything, he moaned her name and jumped forward. Janet yelped, her hands coming up to protect her instinctively. His hands closed over her upper arms like bands of steels and his hard body pressed up against her. Her heart was hammering in her chest, panic getting the best of her as she felt some books poking her back. "Daniel!"

"Janet," he murmured, burying his nose in her hair as he pressed himself even closer. The soft curves of her body now flush against his harder planes. "I want you," he insisted, rocking his hips against her.

Trying to push him away with her hands against his chest, she realized she was trapped. He was much stronger and taller and crowding against her. "Stop," she tried in her most commanding tone, moving her head away from his searching lips.

"You're mine," he whispered, grabbing her chin and capturing her lips with his.

"Humph," Janet huffed against his mouth, suddenly finding her opening and kneeing him in the groin.

Daniel cried out, doubling over in pain. "Ow!"

Not giving him a moment to recuperate, she used the heel of her shoe to trample on his feet. She saw his demeanor change as he nursed his wounds – and pride – and his head shot up, his normally kind blue eyes hard and dangerous. Preparing herself, she waited for him to straighten up and swung her arm forward, hitting him in the chin before giving him a body shot to the liver. As he charged forwards, she managed to hit his nose – wincing in sympathy as she broke it – before she tripped and fell over backwards.

Quickly swiping away the blood, Daniel growled and threw himself on her. Using his superior bodyweight, he kept her in place as he inserted a leg between her thighs. "Mine!"

Janet managed to writhe under him, delivering a punch to his side as she was unable to reach his kidneys. He groaned, but she still couldn't get away. Using her hands, she managed to slide a few feet back, but he followed and pulled on her white coat until it was coming down her arms, nearly trapping her with its debilitating effect. Kicking him with her feet wasn't doing much either, as he easily evaded them. Biting her lip, she decided to play dirty as he covered her body with his once more and reached for his eyes. The glasses were knocked off, finally giving her an advantage even though she could hardly see a thing in the darkened corner of his office with the only light still coming from the desk. "Get off me," she cried, managing to push him to her right side. One hand grabbed her knee though, and roughly pulled her lower body against him. Outstretching her left arm, her fingers encountered something heavy and she wrapped them around it, swinging the object against the side of his head and hearing it crash on impact.

"Doctor Fraiser, Daniel Jackson!"

"Teal'c!" Janet gasped, as Daniel's body fell over her completely boneless. "Get him off me."

"What has transpired?" Teal'c inquired, easily lifting his friend's limp body off Doctor Fraiser.

Panting, she tried to sit up but failed miserably. Lying back on the floor, she waited for her heart to slow down and brushed the broken pieces of ceramic off her body. "He's infected as well," she finally uttered.

"I see," he replied, raising a brow at Daniel Jackson's bloodied and bruised face.

"I don't know what happened," Janet continued, sitting up. "He was acting a bit off, I guess, but I was too tired to notice…"

Placing Daniel Jackson's unconscious body on the floor, Teal'c walked over to the wall and dialed the number of the infirmary.


	26. Chapter 26

Once Alisen Brightman was done with her quick exam, Janet shooed her away and slipped out of the cubicle as she straightened her coat. Doctor Warner had taken Daniel to one of the exam rooms to treat his injuries before placing him in isolation as well. Despite getting away relatively unharmed, he and Alisen had both insisted Janet let herself get checked out. She had reluctantly agreed, realizing it hadn't been that long ago when she'd insisted on the same course of action after Alisen had been attacked.

Combing through her hair with her fingers, Janet wasn't surprised to find Teal'c around the corner. "Teal'c," she gave him a warm smile, "I wanted to thank you for-"

"That will not be necessary, Doctor Fraiser," he interrupted her curtly.

"Well, if it hadn't been for you…" she let her voice trail off, reeling at the thought of what could have happened. Daniel was a lot stronger than her under normal circumstances and now that he was affected too the raised levels of testosterone gave him an extra advantage.

Clasping his hands behind his back, Teal'c raised his brow skeptically. "I do not believe my assistance was required, Doctor Fraiser. Was Daniel Jackson not already unconscious before I found you? Therefore, I believe you are fully capable of defending yourself."

Janet was unsure of how to respond to his praise and simply gave a modest nod. "I guess for once Daniel's cramped office was a good thing," she shrugged, thinking of the – most likely antique and one of a kind – ceramic vase she'd been able to reach and knock him over the head with.

"Indeed," he dipped his head with a smile gracing his features. "Were your injuries examined by Doctor Brightman?"

"Yes," she nodded slowly, a small frown on her face. "I'm fine, just a few bumps and bruises. Where did Doctor Brightman go?" She looked around the medical bay. "And why were you coming to Daniel's office?"

Teal'c straightened to his full height and gestured towards the corridor leading to the isolation rooms. "O'Neill and Colonel Carter have both regained consciousness. I believe Doctor Brightman is assessing their situation."

Walking briskly to keep up with the tall Jaffa, Janet followed him while her mind was racing. "They're both awake? I'd hoped at least General O'Neill would remain sedated for a few more hours… we can't give him any more sedatives at the moment."

"What of Colonel Carter?"

"Well," she pursed her lips as they rounded the corner, "ever since Jolinar and her altered physiology, she's been able to withstand a lot more when it comes to sedatives or stun guns. Not sure about her pain threshold, since that was always pretty high," Janet added as an afterthought. "I had hoped she'd stay under a few more hours, but hadn't really expected it. Doctor Brightman or Warner should examine her vitals before making a decision, but she can probably take another dose."

"I see."

Janet slowed down as they neared the rooms holding the General and Sam, frowning in confusion at the noise and the personnel in the corridors. "What's going on?"

"As I stated before; O'Neill and Colonel Carter have regained consciousness," Teal'c solemnly replied.

As her curiosity got the best of her, she slowly pushed through the small crowd of medical personnel looking for Warner or Alisen. "What's with all the noise?" Janet nearly shouted, trying to make herself audible as she reached Alisen.

Alisen held up her hand to stall the CMO for a moment as she continued giving instructions to the head nurse. When she was done, she turned to Janet. "Within ten minutes of Colonel Carter waking up, the General awoke as well and they've been screeching, yelling, shrieking… whatever you want to call it," she shrugged, "ever since. It took eight men," she gestured at the orderlies in the corridor, "to hold General O'Neill down as a nurse and I took his vitals."

"I take it you haven't administered another sedative?" Janet questioned, wincing as the screeching got louder.

"No, I don't want to risk it," she shook her head, handing her boss the chart.

Skimming the contents, she nodded her understanding. "So, now what?"

"Actually," Alisen smiled shyly, "I was hoping maybe you'd have an idea. That's why I asked Mr. Teal'c to see if you were still here, but I didn't want to bother you with it after your ordeal…"

"Nonsense," Janet huffed, glaring at the Jaffa. Seeing something white out of the corner of her eye, she frowned and gestured towards the bandage. "What's that?"

The corners of Teal'c's mouth drooped as he looked down at his arm. "In an attempt to escape, Colonel Carter bit me."

"She bit you?" She echoed, her eyes wide.

"Indeed."

Alisen gave an uncomfortable chuckle, unable to hold it in. "I'm sorry," she muttered under her breath. "I checked the wound, cleaned and dressed it. It should heal just fine with an extra dose of tretonin every day for the rest of the week."

Janet processed all this, wondering why there were always crises when her shift was over. "But Sam didn't do any other damage?"

Teal'c shook his head slowly. "I removed the intravenous line before she could harm herself."

"She did manage to get free from the gurney, though," Alisen reported with a scowl. "Looks like she managed to tear the material with all her struggling, but all the sharp instruments and possibly dangerous equipment had already been removed and she was alone."

Taking a step closer to the door, Janet opened the small shutter to look for herself. "Oh my," she gasped, seeing the mess Sam had made. "She's going to injure herself if she keeps that up."

"I know, the General has already managed to punch some holes in the wall and his hands are bleeding, but nothing we do seems to calm him."

"It merely seems to spur his actions on," Teal'c concurred. "It appears he and Colonel Carter are attempting to remove the obstacle separating them."

Alisen watched the CMO as she absorbed this new information. "I don't know what to do; if they keep this up they'll get hurt and might even succeed in breaking down the wall, but as soon as we enter the room of one, the other goes crazy."

"Perhaps we should relocate them."

"I don't know," she turned towards the Jaffa, pursing her lips in thought. "We tried moving General O'Neill when you went to look for Doctor Fraiser and we were checking his vitals, but the further in the room we took him, the louder Colonel Carter became."

Crossing her arms, Janet took a deep breath. "Keeping them here is too dangerous, but they appear to become more aggressive if we move them further apart. Letting them share a room is  _not_  an option, although if they keep this up that's probably the end result."

"Indeed."

After a few minutes of silence, she looked up. "I have an idea; Teal'c, would you mind going to their on base quarters and get something with their scent on it? Clothing, bed sheets, used towels… whatever is in their laundry."

"I would not," he inclined his head. "I shall retrieve the items you have requested and bring them here."

"What are you thinking?" Alisen questioned as the Jaffa took off.

Grinning, Janet shrugged minutely. "Their sense of smell seems to be highly developed; perhaps giving them an item with the other's scent on it will calm them down. Hopefully enough so we can move each of them to the opposite ends of the corridor."

"That might just work!" She smiled brightly, bobbing her head in excitement. "Although there aren't that many rooms available… we might have to move some of the patients around."

"You can look into that, while I go check with Warner how Daniel's doing. We'll only move them if the item calms them down, otherwise we'll have to look for another solution."

Alisen nodded slowly, deep in thought already. "Moving them so far apart might just work, since we have done the same with some other… 'couples'," she made air quotes as she referred to some of the other patients who'd sought each other out as mates. "They haven't shown this type of aggression, which could be because they have been placed on opposite ends of the isolation wing from the start."

"Let's hope this will work," Janet agreed as she placed the General's chart back. "I'll be right back after conferring with Warner."

* * *

Satisfied her patient was all settled in, Janet turned to leave the new isolation room which housed her friend. "Let's move people," she ushered the medical personnel with the gurney out of the room and waited for Teal'c to join her in the corridor to lock up the room. She bit back a grin when she saw the hint of an amused smile on the Jaffa's face. "I guess that means they're both settled in. Now we'll just have to wait until they regain consciousness from the zat blast to see if their behavior changes now that Sam has the General's shirt and he has her bedcover."

"Indeed."

Locking up the room, she took a moment to enjoy the silence in the corridors now that General O'Neill and Sam had been knocked out for the moment and the rest of the patients seemed to have settled down as well. "I'm just glad zatting them again worked out."

Teal'c simply inclined his head in agreement. Once he had returned to the infirmary with the requested items, Doctor Fraiser had told him they would need to move their friends immediately because they had grown too aggressive and it would not be safe to enter the room in their current condition. He had suggested they'd use the zat'nik'tels to render his friends unconscious again before opening their rooms, to avoid the danger of administering more sedatives. O'Neill had immediately been wary when he had stepped inside but had not been able to attack before he had fired the zat'nik'tel. "How is Daniel Jackson?"

"Doctor Warner assured me he'll make a full recovery. Looks like he has a concussion, a broken nose and some bruising – but no internal bleeding," Janet informed him as they moved down the corridor.

"He was most fortunate it was you who he attacked."

She gave a soft chuckle, shaking her head. "That's what Warner said as well; some good placed punches without doing too much internal damage."

"I must concur," Teal'c intoned, stopping when he reached O'Neill's newest residence. "It appears O'Neill is settling in to his new accommodations as expected."

Janet gently pushed the Jaffa aside to look into the small window and bit back a smile as she took in the tough general cuddled into Sam's bedcover. "I guess so, Teal'c."

After Doctor Fraiser closed the shutter, he resumed their path to the end of the corridor. "What of Daniel Jackson's research? Or was that a mere ruse?"

"No, I think it was genuine," she replied honestly. "I find it hard to believe he would lure me all the way down to his office simply to… attack me. I'm not even sure if he realized he was affected by the virus, let alone still be capable of concocting such a plan in his state of mind."

"I see. Did you learn anything useful, Doctor Fraiser?"

As they stopped by the elevator, Janet swiped her pass and waited for the car to reach their level. "Actually, there might have been something about the virus on the ruins… Daniel hadn't completed his translation yet and I haven't looked over all his notes – I completely forgot with all the commotion."

"I shall accompany you," Teal'c informed the Tau'ri doctor as the elevator doors opened. "Perhaps his notations will provide a clue that can aide us in our quest for a cure."

* * *

Carrying a stack of books, Nyan slowly made his way through the corridor from his office to Doctor Jackson's office. He offered Teal'c a small smile when he noticed Doctor Fraiser yawning loudly upon entering the room. "These might help with the last of the translations," he explained, placing the books on a counter. "A few are also about Ancient Greece, specifically titles and ranks, Athenian democracy, Minoan culture and king Minos."

"Some light reading?" Janet joked, eyeing the stack of books wearily. "I'm going to need more coffee if we have to plough through those."

Nyan shrugged as his fingers tapped the stack. "Daniel asked me to look into these yesterday and I've already made a lot of notes, but haven't completed all of them yet."

"Perhaps an intermission would be best," Teal'c intoned with a raised brow. "Your body is in need of sleep, Doctor Fraiser."

Nyan rubbed his tired eyes and nodded slowly. "He's right, you've been in the infirmary all day and even though you're supposed to be sleeping you're here, going through all Daniel's notes with us."

"You're here too." She narrowed her eyes at the brown-haired Bedrosian, who'd come to Earth a couple of years ago and had been working as Daniel's research assistant ever since.

"Nyan and myself are not required to report for duty in less than three hours," Teal'c replied stoically.

Janet rubbed her temples and let out a deep sigh. She  _so_  didn't want to be reminded about starting her dayshift, even though it seemed like they had all the patients infected with this virus in isolation now. She was sure some other crisis would happen while she was slaving away at the infirmary, leaving no time to research a cure for her patients. "But you still require sleep. Ack!" She held up her hand as both aliens tried to protest. "Just because you weren't born on this particular planet," she glared at Nyan, "doesn't mean you don't have a human physiology!"

"I shall continue then while you rest."

"No Teal'c," Janet shook her head, "you don't have your symbiote anymore and  _need_  to sleep. Just a couple of hours of kelno'reem aren't enough for your body anymore, despite the tretonin. We will all get some shuteye and get back here tomorrow."

Teal'c reluctantly concurred and stood, gathering the last of the pictures that needed translating in a small stack and placed them at the corner of the desk. "Very well."

Nyan followed the two of them out of the office and locked up behind him. "Doctor Fraiser, what I don't understand is how Daniel could have gotten infected? I mean, I thought you told General Hammond that the people who had continued taking their antihistamines after the Touched incident wouldn't get infected this time."

"That's true," Janet conceded, nodding slowly as they walked towards the elevator. "However, I hadn't taken his change in treatment in account. For his allergies, I mean."

"Did Daniel Jackson not continue taking the oral medication you provided?"

Swiping her card through the elevator's reader again, she slowly stretched her small frame before answering. "Only for a few days after the incident. He expressed his concerns about a repeat of the situation," she told them cautiously, weighing what she could tell him due to doctor-patient confidentiality. "That something similar might happen off-world, preventing him from taking his antihistamines. So, I looked into some different treatments and we ended up doing hyposensitization therapy." Seeing the puzzled expressions on the faces of the two aliens, she sighed. "Allergen immunotherapy, to induce an immunologic tolerance by basically vaccinating him against the allergens and… Never mind," she shrugged, rolling her eyes at their confusion. "It means he didn't have to take antihistamines anymore once we completed the treatment."

"I see," Nyan murmured, stepping into the car when the doors opened. Pressing the button for level twenty-five, he stepped back. "But that therapy was the cause of his infection now?"

"Let's just say that if we'd waited two more weeks, in which he continued taking the antihistamines, the virus would have been flushed from his system like what happened to Teal'c and myself since it couldn't feed on us. Instead, he didn't take the antihistamines because he stayed on base – thus didn't need the medication – until we started the therapy," Janet explained, suppressing another yawn.

"Oh, okay," he nodded sleepily. "Thanks."

"I wish you both a goodnight's sleep and pleasant dreams," Teal'c stated once the car came to a halt and the doors opened.

Janet nodded and made her way down the corridor. "Good night," she mumbled, before turning the other corridor.


	27. Chapter 27

Nyan sighed, once more reaching for Daniel's notes as he stared at the pictures of the ruins. He had already been slaving away at this for three hours, feeling it was his duty now that Daniel himself had gotten infected. Normally he would aid Daniel and the other scientists from the archeology, linguistics and anthropology department by doing research for them. As it was, he had plenty of times to read about the history of the people on Earth and he enjoyed doing that in his free time as well. More than anything, his hobby had become his job as someone here had once told him. He didn't mind, it was why he'd asked asylum on Earth in the first place – to learn more about his people's origin.

However, he wasn't used to being the person people looked to for all the answers. Normally he would just do the proper research and hand it over to whoever needed it, but now he had to sift through all that research and actually find the answers the Earth scientists would always come up with. He wasn't sure how to feel about that; he didn't mind having a bit more responsibility, but to be the sole responsible one now that the rest was incapacitated… it was an extra pressure he didn't need in a situation like this. Moreover, there was no one he could ask for help nor discuss his findings with!

Of course, Doctor Fraiser and Teal'c would be here in a few hours, he was sure of it and maybe then he could tell them what he'd found up until now. Maybe Teal'c could help him with some of these last translations as well, because he wasn't sure what to make of them. It was probably the reason Daniel had left them for now. It looked like this part of the ruins told the story of how the ancestors of the natives of P2X-913 had been brought to their planet. But from what he had found so far, it looked like they hadn't been brought there from Earth, but a different planet. Which didn't make a lot of sense to him. Why would a Goa'uld do such a thing?

There was no explanation mentioned as best as he could tell and thus he assumed he'd made an error somewhere. But the language wasn't that difficult – at least, if his assumptions about the origins was correct. There were some distinctive yet archaic Goa'uld influences, mixed with several Earth dialects from Ancient Greece resembling linear A script – or so he thought. As far as he could tell, Daniel had the same idea and he doubted they were both wrong. But maybe Teal'c could shed some light on this matter once he got here.

It didn't look like there was something special about the natives of the Bright Plains, so he couldn't imagine why a Goa'uld would take them from one planet to another. There was no such thing as a benevolent Goa'uld, right? For a moment, he'd wondered if maybe it had been a Tok'ra who had moved them from captivity, but that wouldn't explain some of the markings on the ruins. Nor had they ever heard of the Tok'ra intervening in such a way.

Leaving the pictures for what they were, he went back to the mission reports from SG-6 to learn more about the culture. Everything from the natives' clothing style to the symbolism of the bull and their architecture seemed to indicate Minoan culture. But earlier this morning Nyan had checked the database and come to the conclusion that this particular planet was nowhere near the Goa'uld Minos' domain. Again, that didn't make a lot of sense since most of the Goa'uld had a specific domain which they ruled, not just a few random planets throughout the galaxy – since an entire domain would be much harder to attack than a single planet in a hostile domain.

According to the information Jacob Carter – or his Tok'ra, Selmak – had inserted into the file, property of planets and domains were mostly determined by ruling of the System Lords. If a powerful Goa'uld died, some of their territory would be claimed by neighboring domains but most of it was reassigned by the System Lords, to keep some kind of order. Even if what they knew of Minos was incomplete, the location of this planet didn't make a lot of sense. The SGC had done recon on a few of the planets in the same domain and only a minor part of those planets seemed to have been ruled by a Goa'uld at one point.

Nyan ran a frustrated hand through his hair after skimming over the reports. There was something else that didn't make sense; the attitude these people had towards their God. They seemed to like the Goa'uld and still honored him. Something Daniel had found similar to the people on other planets where the Goa'uld had never returned, like some who had apparently worshipped Pelops. But there was no indication this was the same Goa'uld. Pelops' interests had been in a different part of the galaxy and according to the Tok'ra he liked to leave behind specific reminders of himself – like the giant statue SG-1 had come across. Besides the ruins and the altar the natives on P2X-913 used, there were no signs of Goa'uld presence or worshipping on that planet.

He briefly skimmed over a part of Daniel's translation from the furthest pile of pictures, but seeing as it appeared to be telling the story of a playing boy who got lost he put the notes aside again and tried to focus on the more important stuff. Nyan shuffled some papers around, trying to find a new starting point for his investigation and eventually grabbed one of the books he'd brought in yesterday for some reference material. After going through some of the chapters he'd labeled important and digging through some more informative paragraphs, he frowned and went back to the mission reports. Normally he wouldn't be looking into those as one of the other scientists would simply tell him what kind of information was needed and he was slightly appalled by the lack of information in them. Sure, from a military point of view there was enough information, but there weren't many details about the culture itself – although all four men  _had_  mentioned the women's clothing style.

"Nyan, how is your research faring?"

He startled at the deep voice booming into the small office. "Teal'c," Nyan gave him a welcoming smile, "come in."

"Doctor Fraiser requested I inquire about your progress," Teal'c explained as he walked into Daniel Jackson's office with his hands clasped behind his back.

Nyan cast a glance at the clock and, realizing he'd been working through most of the morning, shrugged. "To be honest; I'm not sure. There are some parts I can't seem to translate and Daniel had no success either, or maybe he just hadn't gotten that far yet."

Raising a brow at the Bedrosian refugee, he stepped forward. "Perhaps I can be of assistance."

"It does seem to be a Goa'uld dialect of sorts," he replied, handing a stack of pictures over to the Jaffa. "From what Daniel and I've gathered those writings on the ruins tell about their ancestors. How they have been brought from beyond the stars to here…well, there, P2X-913," Nyan corrected himself. "Then it looks like something about the landscape, bluish-green fields which are bright or… something, it doesn't make a lot of sense."

"Indeed."

"I guess that could be why they call the land the Bright Plains," he shrugged. "What confuses me most is that it sounds as if they've been brought there from a different planet, not Earth, by their God."

Teal'c raised a brow as he compared the translated lines to the writing. "Indeed, it is most puzzling. Perhaps the people possessed something this Goa'uld wanted for himself and he relocated them to a secret planet."

"Well, it seems like the natives on this planet are kind and well-developed, but nothing stood out for SG-6. Nothing that would explain a Goa'uld's interest in them."

"Perhaps with time it has passed," Teal'c offered, placing the pictures back on the desk.

Nyan leaned over and pointed at a specific line. "This could be their place of origin, but I couldn't make a lot of it. Something silver or shining brightly… maybe a mining planet?"

"Would it also not translate to 'Argos'?"

He frowned, throwing a questioning look at the Jaffa before reaching for a different file. "Argos? I think I've read something about that…"

"It was a world of beauty and bounty with a temperate Mediterranean climate. The Argosians, who refer to themselves as the Chosen, were brought to Argos long ago by the Goa'uld Pelops as part of an experiment in human physiology and evolution," Teal'c patiently explained. "Designated P3X-8-"

"-596," Nyan finished with a grin. "P3X-8596, called Argos and used to be ruled by Pelops," he tapped one of Daniel's scribbled notes. "Daniel referenced to this as the worshipping of this Goa'uld reminded him of the Argosians who remained loyal to Pelops, but that was where the similarities ended."

Inclining his head slightly, Teal'c grimaced. "Perhaps it is not."

"You think P2X-913 was one of Pelops' planets as well?"

"I do not," Teal'c replied after examining other notes made by Nyan. "It is possible he intended for them to be part of his research and another Goa'uld stole them. What of these?"

Nyan looked at the small stack of pictures he was referring to. "Oh, it looks like those are part of some ancient tale. Daniel had put them aside with some others as it doesn't appear to be of importance here."

"I see."

"Is Doctor Fraiser any closer to finding a cure?" Nyan asked, watching as the Jaffa went through the pictures he'd just told him about.

"She is not," Teal'c curtly informed him. "As planned, she is conferring with Doctor Warner and Doctor MacKenzie about prolonged treatment with sedatives."

"Oh," he replied a bit despondent. "No pressure, huh?"

Looking up from his examination of the writings, Teal'c raised a brow. "On the contrary; there is much pressure for you to find an answer."

"Right," Nyan muttered. "Do you think that's important?" He gestured at the pictures Teal'c was still examining. "I could translate them if you want…"

"It is a tale of a youngster who becomes lost and his parents seek counsel from an oracle," Teal'c explained, able to translate some parts of the text. "It appears the youngster dies but is resurrected," the corners of his mouth drooped as he handed over the photographs to the Bedrosian researcher. "There are mentions of several creatures, including two serpents."

Nyan's eyes widened in shock. "Goa'uld?"

"That is possible," Teal'c responded in a grave tone.

* * *

Janet rushed through the corridors on level twenty-one and once she reached the infirmary, she quickly dashed into the room behind the nurse's workstation. She soundly closed the door behind her, grabbed the sandwich she'd gotten from the mess hall out of her coat's pocket and plopped down on the sofa with a deep sigh.

All the test results had come back and they showed that Daniel Jackson was indeed infected, but the rest of the personnel was cleared. She was grateful for that, because she had no idea how much longer she could keep up with all her duties. She'd just come back from a meeting with Colonel Reynolds, having discussed the goings on at the base and how her patients were doing – which was well, under the circumstances. She had even managed to get an update about Nyan's research from Teal'c before going in and she was thankful for that too. It looked like the Bedrosian and the Jaffa may have found something… some ancient tale on the ruins or something. At the moment, Janet didn't really care what it was as long as it could give them a clue as how to proceed.

At times like these she wished there was more personnel qualified for this kind of work. But there were only so many people assigned to the specific departments and some of them had fallen victim to this infection, while others had been off-base – and thankfully unharmed – when the lockdown had been initiated. It was a shame that the only contact with the outside world could go through Hammond and the higher ups, because otherwise Nyan would have been able to contact some of Daniel's colleagues and ask them for help via the phone. But since the universe seemed to have it in for them, that wasn't an option.

She sighed again, her head resting on the back of the couch. One thing she hadn't managed yet today was taking a break. Quickly unwrapping the sandwich, Janet found that while she was very hungry she was almost too tired to actually eat the food. "On doctor's orders," she mumbled to no one in particular as she slowly took a bite.

This entire situation had resulted in a newfound respect for General O'Neill and General Hammond for commanding this base day in, day out for her. She'd always admired the two men for their characters, honor and the job they did – even if General O'Neill was always whining when he was in her infirmary – but now that she found herself in a Code Five lockdown and suddenly sharing command of the base with Colonel Reynolds, while also running the infirmary… God, she needed a vacation once this was over.

Janet cringed when the door opened and a head peeked into her little sanctuary.

"Doctor Fraiser," Eric MacKenzie smiled his understanding as he found her hideout. "I was just looking for you."

"Of course you were," she muttered under her breath, before looking up at him. "What can I do for you, Doctor MacKenzie?" She was barely able to muster a smile as she continued eating her sandwich.

Joining her on the sofa, he gestured in the direction of the isolation rooms. "Some of our patients have started to act up again."

"Are their cells holding?"

Eric nodded, letting his chin rest on his fingers, which formed a steeple. "Yes, even though they're doing their best to break the walls down. You see, I noticed something; once the alpha males awake and start causing trouble, their pack seems to act accordingly."

"And…?" Janet gestured with her hand for him to just spit it out as she fought the exhaustion coming over her.

"Well, that probably explains why there is such chaos when General O'Neill starts."

"The ultimate alpha male," she nodded slowly.

Eric silently agreed with her. "Perhaps if we can control the alpha males the rest will follow."

"But what about their mates? It looks like the mates are connected as well, as evidenced by General O'Neill and Colonel Carter, and SF Westerholm and-"

"True," Eric interrupted her, his expression turning pensively. "They are still responding to each other's actions? Trying to get to their mate?"

Janet bobbed her head as she finished the last of her sandwich. "The scented clothing seems to last only for so long, although they refuse to give it up."

"Sleeping with such items can create an illusion of safety," Eric theorized. "Several studies have shown that certain scents can influence what you dream about; perhaps they feel closer to their mates in their sleep."

"All I know is that we can't keep sedating them. If we take out one alpha male another one will try to take leadership," she replied. "I don't think I have to remind you about today's fights."

He slowly shook his head, recalling how two men of the same 'pack' and rank had turned against each other when placed in the same cell – Doctor Warner was still in the OR with one. "How is the research for a cure coming along?"

Janet stood from the couch, depositing the wrapped form her now-eaten sandwich and slowly stretched her small frame. "The lab is still unsuccessful with the samples we've provided them with, it doesn't look like they'll be getting anything soon. Nyan and Teal'c are researching the planet's history and might have found a lead on the ruins," she explained. "I told Teal'c to go back to assist Nyan – Doctor Jackson's research assistant," she clarified at MacKenzie's puzzled expression. "Because it was some sort of Goa'uld dialect and Teal'c has often assisted Doctor Jackson and his colleagues with translations. Colonel Reynolds didn't need the Jaffa's assistance for now, so…"

"Ah, I see," Eric mumbled, also getting up from the sofa. "Well, I should get back to our patients and see how they're behaving now. Only a few more hours, doctor," he smiled at her, tapping his watch.

"Only barring any emergencies," Janet rolled her eyes. "Doctor Brightman is scheduled for the nightshift, but if we can't get the patients to calm down enough I might have to assist her."

"Well, I for one can't wait to retire to my quarters," Eric smirked, glad that his double shift was coming to an end.

* * *

Hours later, Janet went over to Daniel's lab assuming that's where Nyan and Teal'c were, after leaving MacKenzie and Warner to bring Alisen up to speed. In half an hour her shift was over, but if they had found something that could help them… she sighed, leaning against the back wall of the car. Rubbing her tired eyes, she thought about sending up a prayer for some good news. Once the car's doors slid open, she realized she'd closed her eyes and entered level eighteen.

She was a bit surprised to find Nyan and Teal'c hard at work, considering her own exhaustion but she hoped that was a good sign. "Any progress, gentlemen?"

"Doctor Fraiser," Teal'c inclined his head respectfully.

"Actually," Nyan beamed at her. "I've been able to translate most of this ancient tale. Or at least the key words and managed to find a similar myth from Earth."

Janet's eyebrows shot up as she neared the desk. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Indeed, this happens most often," Teal'c agreed.

Ignoring them, Nyan collected some of the notes, photos and books to make room for Doctor Fraiser. "What do you know about King Minos?"

"Not a lot," Janet mumbled, not in the mood to play guessing games. Seeing the young Bedrosian's face fall, she rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay… I'm assuming he's a Goa'uld bent on galactic domination and that he inspired the Minoan culture."

"Close," Nyan smirked. "Although, all the evidence seems to suggest he's dead now."

"And…?"

Nyan went on to tell her how they had dug into everything they knew about Minos, assuming he was the Goa'uld who took the natives to P2X-913 but actually found it wasn't him who was responsible. "Well, maybe indirectly he was… anyway, it was his son, Glaucus who appears to be the Goa'uld in question."

"Glaucus?" Janet repeated, wondering if that should tell her something – because it didn't.

"Indeed, I was unfamiliar with this Goa'uld," Teal'c admitted. "Yet I have heard ancient tales as a child about Minos' offspring."

Nyan quickly showed her the pictures of the ruins and the notes he and Teal'c had made while translating. "Actually, one of those tales originates here on Earth and stars Glaucus as a young boy."

"And this is going to help us find a cure?" Janet inquired, unable to keep the skepticism out of her voice.

"Indeed it might."

Janet sat down on one of Daniel's guest chairs, preparing herself for an explanation. "Then, by all means…"


	28. Chapter 28

"It appears there were different forms of spelling for his name and there were actually two different Glaucuses," Nyan started, frowning a bit at the plural. "One was the son of Anthedon or Poseidon," he looked at Doctor Fraiser and seeing her slowly nod, he forged on. "He apparently found that a certain grass bestowed immortality; he at some of it, leapt into the sea and became a sea-god."

Janet looked up at the Bedrosian, her eyebrows knitted together. "That's it? We have to find some seaweed that magically heals them?" She asked skeptically.

"No, no," Nyan shook his head. "That's not the Glaucus mentioned on the ruins."

"Ah," she nodded, settling back in her seat as she finally got the long explanation she'd been expecting.

"A son of the Goa'uld Minos was also named Glaucus," Teal'c informed the Tau'ri doctor. "According to Daniel Jackson's database," he gestured towards the computer that had aided him and Nyan in their quest for answers. "People of your world sometimes confuse the two."

Nyan nodded and handed her a print out of images he had found. "This one is the sea-god and this one," he tapped the other one, "was Prince Glaucus, the son of King Minos."

"Hm," Janet murmured noncommittally, her eyes scanning the images.

"The Minoan culture and the story of him as a boy on the ruins indicate it is the son of Minos – and Pasiphae – that brought the natives to that planet," he continued. "You see, his name actually threw me off the first time as it means shiny, bright and bluish-greens."

Regarding Doctor Fraiser, Teal'c realized she did not understand the significance of this. "The natives on P2X-913 call their land the Bright Plains and after inquiring, SG-6 confirmed the landscape and most clothing was bluish-green."

"Almost like it's their national color," Nyan grinned, pleased with his own tenacity which ultimately put him and Teal'c on the right track. "Anyway," he cleared his throat, making sure to get Doctor Fraiser's attention again, "the myth is that the boy, Glaucus, was playing in the Knossos palace and suddenly disappeared. His parents, Minos and Pasiphae asked the Delphic Oracle when they couldn't find him."

"An oracle?" Janet frowned, even with all she'd seen these past few years while assigned to the SGC she didn't really believe in oracles – nor miracles, as they just clashed with her scientific mindset.

"Indeed," Teal'c inclined his head. He, too, was skeptical after having learned about the Goa'uld's own technology – which they had proclaimed was magic – and could not imagine any Goa'uld seeking the help of another, nor caring for an offspring.

Nyan glanced between the two, before gesturing with his hand to get their attention. "The advice they received was the following; "A marvelous creature has been born amongst you: whoever finds the true likeness for this creature will also find the child"," he made air quotes with his fingers. "Now, this is the version of the myth on Earth, but I've found a lot of similarities with the inscription on the ruins."

"What was it?" Janet inquired, looking at him expectantly.

"A calf which changed his color three times a day, from white to red to black," he replied. "Nobody could explain the resemblance, until Polyeidos from Argos observed that the calf reminded him of ripening of blackberries."

She pursed her lips together, a pensive frown on her face before she slowly nodded. "Okay," she said just as slow, still not believing a calf could change colors – mythical or not. "Argos?"

"A city in Greece," Nyan explained.

"No relation to the planet or Pelops?"

Teal'c raised his brow as he looked at the information he had gathered from Daniel Jackson's database. "Indeed, there is another myth regarding this seer Polyeidos. It is said he had come to Megara to purify Alcathous, a son of Pelops, for the accidental murder of his son Callipolis."

"Which isn't relevant right now," Nyan retorted, slightly upset at them getting sidetracked.

"Sorry," Janet mumbled, blushing slightly. Even though she didn't really believe in myths and everything, it was true that the Goa'uld often impersonated mythical pharaohs, gods or kings and it never ceased to amaze her how they all seemed tied to each other. "Please go on."

He nodded, trying to remember where he'd left off. "Oh right. Realizing Polyeidos was the one who'd found the likeness, Minos ordered him to look for his son, Glaucus."

"Did he find him?"

"Indeed," Teal'c intoned. "The child had drowned in large cask of honey in the wine-cellar."

"Oh my," she mumbled, grimacing slightly at the picture forming in her mind.

Nyan bobbed his head in understanding, before continuing. "Minos demanded he'd bring his son back to life, but Polyeidos objected to it. Now, some say the oracle had predicted Polyeidos would restore the child's life while others say there is no evidence for that."

Janet was about to remark there was no evidence for people predicting future events or color-changing calves, but decided to keep quiet. "So, what happened?"

"Minos closed Polyeidos together with a sword and the lifeless body in the cellar. Suddenly a serpent appeared near the corpse and Polyeidos killed him with the sword. However, another snake came and, seeing the first snake was dead, brought a magic plant and put it on the snake's dead body. Polyeidos was astonished, because the snake's life slowly restored. He took the magic plant and resurrected Glaucus," Nyan concluded with a small smile.

"So, we're still looking for a magic plant," Janet said slowly, a bit disappointed.

Teal'c glanced at the Tau'ri female. "Perhaps the natives of P2X-913 know the significance of this tale."

"How did the people of the Land of Light prevent becoming one of the Touched?" Nyan inquired as he plopped down on a chair.

"Probably a natural occurring antihistamine in their food, one of our teams informed Tuplo and the rest of the High Council about a diet which would prevent them ever getting infected again," Janet responded.

Raising his brow, Teal'c canted his head in surprise. "Could there not be such a plant on P2X-913?"

"A lot of breakthroughs in medicine in Bedrosia came from plant life," Nyan added in a hopeful tone.

"I guess the same can be said for Earth," Janet agreed. "Maybe the magic plant really was a plant with healing properties, although I doubt there's a plant that can bring back the dead."

Teal'c concurred and stood from his chair. "Perhaps the serpents were in truth Goa'uld."

"Maybe," Nyan conceded as he gathered all the papers on the desk. "But it's still worth checking out, right? There wasn't anything in the reports from SG-6 about medicine, but didn't the natives tell you they were immune to this infection, Doctor Fraiser?"

"Ah," Janet frowned, running a hand through her brown hair as she tried to recall her short conversation with Maru, the healer on P2X-913. "Their healer tried to reassure me nothing was wrong with his people and said they had their own medicine if anything would happen."

Clasping his hands behind his back, Teal'c straightened to his full length in the small office belonging to Daniel Jackson. Unlike Nyan, he himself was not convinced the cure for his friends was a magical plant. Yet, they did not have any other options at the moment and contacting the natives could have merit. "Were they not immune to this disease?"

She nodded slowly, crossing her arms pensively. "Yes, Prytanis Kuruku mentioned his people were not affected by this disease for many generations," she recalled, her mind racing. "Wait a minute…"

"What, Doctor Fraiser?" Nyan asked, stepping towards her as she mumbled something.

"I hadn't even specified the symptoms and he said 'this disease'," she scowled, jumping up from her seat.

Teal'c let the corners of his mouth droop in disdain, his eyes narrowing. "Prytanis Kuruku could not have known what incapacitated the Tau'ri if you had not yet informed him of the specifics."

"Maybe he knew more than he let on?" Nyan suggested, glancing from Teal'c to Doctor Fraiser. "Now what?"

"Now," Janet sighed, "it's time for me to contact General Hammond."

* * *

"Doctor Fraiser," George Hammond greeted the young doctor fondly after answering the phone. "I hope you've got some good news for me, Doctor."

" _I hope so too, Sir_ ," she sounded a bit frustrated.

He understood, for the woman had been under a lot of pressure lately. She was one of the finest CMOs he'd ever had the pleasure to work with and a damn fine officer too, but he hadn't been assured to leave her in command of the SGC all alone. She had the experience of commanding the infirmary and several medical teams in the past, but he also knew she had to focus on treating her patients and finding a cure. After consulting the President and the JCS, he had given her joint command with Colonel Reynolds. That man was a good officer too, he had a good service record and had climbed the ranks pretty fast since SG-1 met him at Area 51. Most importantly, the two of them were level-headed, responsible and immune to this infection. "Doctor?"

" _Together, Nyan and Teal'c translated the rest of the ruins and managed to link it to a myth on Earth, Sir."_

"Nyan and Te– What about Doctor Jackson?" George asked slightly baffled at this turn of events. He didn't doubt the two aliens would be able to do the translations, after all the Bedrosian had been a research assistant at the SGC since he came to Earth and for the Jaffa Goa'uld was more or less his native language. But Doctor Jackson had been assigned to this task!

There was short pause in the conversation before the CMO's voice sounded again.  _"I'm afraid he's affected as well, Sir."_

"What? How is that possible?" He listened as Fraiser went on to explain the events of the past two days, including her theory about Doctor Jackson's infection and how the myth about this Goa'uld fit in to all this. "I see," George sighed once she was finished. "Now what, Doctor?"

" _Sir… I was hoping you would authorize me to contact P2X-913-"_

"A lockdown means no one in, no one out," he harrumphed. "You know that."

" _Yes Sir. I do, but I can't do anything from here. I need to verify this myth and hopefully the natives have an herb or something that counteracts the effects of the virus."_

George leaned back in his leather chair, rubbing his bald head in frustration. Days like these made retirement sound very good. He was sure people would think he was crazy for wanting to give up a job that gave him command over all off-world-related matters, including Area 51, Stargate Command and the Atlantis Expedition. But right now, he would gladly pass on the job to someone younger and retire, be there while his granddaughters were growing up. "Janet," he said in a sympathetic tone, "you know I can't send you or an SG team out."

" _Just let me contact them via the MALP, Sir, like we did the first time. We can keep the iris closed the whole time!"_

"I have to reject your proposition according to protocol, Doctor," he told her.

" _Yes Sir,"_ her voice sounded confident, not in the slightest put off.  _"Will you be adhering to protocol, Sir?"_

He chuckled lowly, shaking his head fondly even if she couldn't see him. "If this… myth," he frowned, "originated on Earth, can't this plant be found here as well?"

" _The secondary metabolites of plants that have beneficial effects on human diseases vary greatly, Sir. At least twelve thousand have been isolated so far and consensus is that's less than ten percent of the total… Not to mention that there's a good chance that plant doesn't exist on our planet anymore, if it ever has."_

"I see," George muttered, rubbing his chin pensively. "And none of our medicine works?"

" _None, Sir_ ," the CMO confirmed curtly.  _"So far all medical research has failed and it doesn't look good for us, Sir."_

"You think contacting this planet is your only option, Doctor?"

" _Yes Sir. My conversation with Teal'c and Nyan brought back some memories of my conversation with Prytanis Kuruku and Maru; I have the distinct feeling they knew exactly what kind of disease we were talking about."_

Already having made up his mind, George tapped his fingers on the desk. "How do you figure?"

" _They told me their people hadn't been infected by this disease for many generations… it would make sense they have something on their planet that protects them from infection. It could be similar to the natural antihistamines the Untouched were consuming, Sir."_

He frowned, confused at the comparison. "You're saying this situation is similar to the Touched virus?"

He heard some rustling before the doctor replied.  _"Yes Sir. We've never encountered a virus like that one on any other planet, but this Glaucus was the son of Minos, Sir. Nyan suggested that Minos gave his son some of his slaves, probably ancestors from the people of the Land of Light. Teal'c acknowledged Goa'uld often try to placate their offspring like that to prevent them from challenging their leadership. Or maybe Minos and Glaucus visited Earth and the virus originated from our planet-"_

"What?"

" _Many, many years ago, of course, Sir. Either way, Doctor Sheffield confirmed the two viruses come from the same strain and probably evolved over the years under the different environments of the two planets."_

"I see," George mumbled. "Well, in that case, Doctor Fraiser, I will allow you to act as you see fit as long as it won't bring our people in harm's way."

He could swear he heard her smile through the phone as she replied.  _"Yes Sir, thank you Sir."_

"Godspeed, Doctor," he wished her well before hanging up. He rubbed his eyes and let out a deep sigh, before dialing the President's number.

* * *

"Doctor Fraiser," Teal'c spoke as the Tau'ri female entered the briefing room. "Was your communication fruitful?"

Janet looked at the Jaffa's booming voice and smiled at the two aliens waiting for her. "Yes, it appears so."

"They did not try to mislead you?" Nyan inquired as she sat down at the table.

"I don't think it was their intention the first time either," she replied, shaking her head as she handed them each a folder. "Prytanis Kuruku was rather forthcoming and introduced me to Karo… I think she was a historian or something," Janet mumbled. "When I told them about the myth, they immediately recognized the tale of that belonging to their God. So, it looks like you were right."

Nyan nodded as she gave him a piercing look. "I'm just hoping they can help us," he replied, not really caring about whether he was right as long as they could get help.

"What of this disease?" Teal'c inquired solemnly.

"They confirmed there had been some sort of… epidemic," she used for lack of a better word, "in the past, which had affected most of their ancestors. As a matter of fact, they believed their God had saved them from it by relocating them to a different planet with the resources to survive."

Frowning, Nyan browsed through the folder Doctor Fraiser had handed him. It contained a transcript of her conversation with the prytanis, Karo and the healer. "By blessing the soil?"

Janet rolled her eyes and shrugged. "According to them that's why the plant has healing powers."

"I have seen this before," Teal'c informed them as he indicated the drawing from the folder.

"That's what it's supposed to look like," she replied. "Maru the healer drew it in the sand and one of the sergeants in the control room drew it on paper. Are you sure you've seen it before?"

"Indeed," he inclined his head. "Apophis once said it was the symbol of one of his enemies."

Nyan looked at him questioningly. "Maybe it was Glaucus' symbol?"

"I do not know, it was an enemy from before my time," Teal'c replied.

Janet sighed, her fingers drumming restlessly on the table. "Maru assured me it could cure the infection, but they did could not spare any of their people to obtain the plant from the forest in which it grows."

"I shall obtain it," Teal'c announced in a determined voice. "The tretonin I take prevents me from infection, therefore I shall be fine."

Looking at Doctor Fraiser, Nyan voiced his thoughts. "What about the lockdown? And are we sure we can trust these people? I mean, they could have warned SG-6 about the virus in the first place!"

Janet bit back a grin, amazed that he and Daniel could be so much alike with their passion for other cultures and yet so different when it came to trust – compared to Daniel's naivety, Nyan could be downright distrustful. "Colonel Reynolds and I both agree it's the best course of action. As a matter of fact, we don't have a lot of options here and we're running out of time; we can't keep sedating or zatting our people. They are already growing more anxious and aggressive."

"What of General Hammond?" Teal'c inquired with a raised brow. He was aware Colonel Reynolds had been with Doctor Fraiser in the control room and assumed they had discussed the matter. However, she had not yet contacted General Hammond, of that he was sure.

"The General gave me permission to act as I see fit and in my professional opinion, as a doctor and a military officer, I think sending you to P2X-913 is our best option," Janet replied without batting an eye. It wasn't really a lie, anyway. "Colonel Reynolds will go over the details of the mission with you and I would like for Nyan," she turned to the Bedrosian, "to give some advice about how to interact with their culture. Prytanis Kuruku said the journey to the forest takes many hours and we already know from SG-6's reports that their city is at quite a distance from the ''gate; you'll need to spend the night with them before you will be able to make the trip back."

* * *

"Once you get to the other side," Albert Reynolds gestured towards the 'gate before glancing back to the Jaffa, "Prytanis Kuruku will be waiting for you."

Nyan bobbed his head in agreement, before tapping the list he'd made for Teal'c. "As far as I can tell, the prytaneis were the executives of the boule of ancient Athens and received ambassadors from foreign states as they generally conducted the day-to-day business of the state." Seeing Teal'c's skeptic gaze, he shrugged. "I think he'll be acting as your guide."

"I see."

Albert rolled his eyes in exasperation before continuing. "Prytanis Kuruku said you could stay with Strategos Kadano and his wife, Proxenos Madi. There's a chance Strategos Kadano will send some of his men to escort you to the forest and help you find what you need – and bring it back."

"The Strategos is probably similar to a general in the military," Nyan added. "The Proxeni used to host foreign ambassadors at their own expense in return for honorary titles from the state. I guess it makes sense that a general's wife would be that person in this case, because I assume his house would be heavily guarded."

"Indeed," Teal'c concurred. "Colonel Reynolds have you, or Doctor Fraiser inquired how much of this medicine we require?"

Albert sighed and handed him a piece of paper. "Doctor Fraiser made a list of the symptoms and everything which you will have to discuss with their healer-"

"Maru," Nyan offered with a shy smile.

"-and then he will know how much you will need. Apparently this plant is very important to these people and they are a bit reluctant to let us mow down the field and take whatever we need. He requested a precise description for all patients to regulate the amount of… stuff," Albert continued, ignoring the eager scientist. He couldn't wait for everything to go back to normal, so he could go out and explore planets and see his family instead of being cooped up in the mountain with all these people around him. It wasn't that he didn't like being in command for once, but most of his friends and teammates were either infected or off-base. Some others were severely affected by the cold virus – the effect of the same virus when there was no history of the Touched virus – and lying in bed all day! "I think that's about it, Teal'c. Ready to go?"

Teal'c stood from his chair and dipped his chin. "Indeed. The sooner I depart, the sooner I shall return."

"That's the spirit," Albert chuckled, walking towards the spiral staircase leading to the control room. "Get geared up, you're leaving in ten."


	29. Chapter 29

Jack slowly became aware of the steady beating, rustling of papers and smell of antiseptics which all indicated he was in the infirmary. His eyes felt heavy as he tried to open them and he immediately winced at the bright infirmary lighting, the movement making him acutely aware of a throbbing headache and aches throughout the rest of his body. He groaned, bringing up one hand to scrub his face and shield his eyes from the lights to look around his room.

"Jack? You're awake!" Daniel piped up, quickly closing the file he'd been leafing through.

"For crying out loud," he rasped, before clearing his throat. "Can you tone it down a bit?"

Daniel shot him an apologetic look, but couldn't suppress a grin knowing his friend was awake and apparently back to himself. "Sorry," he stood from his chair and moved closer to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap," Jack muttered, glaring at him. "What are you doing?"

He shrugged, gesturing to the call button he'd just pressed. "Janet said to call her when you came to. Want some water?" Daniel quickly poured some in a cup.

Jack tried to sit up, groaning when pain shot through his body and slowly laid back again. "Gimme that," he mumbled, grabbing the cup from the archeologist, using the straw to take a few sips. His throat was dry and the cold water felt heavenly as he drank. His eyes darted to the ajar door when he heard the tell-tale clicking of Napoleon's heels approaching before the door was opened further.

"General O'Neill," Janet greeted the base commander upon entering the room. "I'm glad to see you're awake, Sir."

"Doc," he replied, shoving the now-empty cup back in Daniel's hands.

Browsing through his chart, she checked his latest vitals and nodded to herself. It was all looking very good and he'd even woken up earlier than they'd expected. "I'd like to do a quick exam, Sir. Doctor Jackson would you mind leaving the room to give us some privacy?"

"Oh, of course," Daniel nodded, placed the cup back to the jug and smiled at his two friends. "Um, I'll be back later. Bye," he gave a small wave before leaving and closing the door behind him.

Janet took her penlight and stepped closer. "Please look here, Sir," she mumbled, before shining the light in his eyes.

"Ack!" Jack winced, pulling his head away from the light.

"Still a bit photosensitive," she mumbled, "but pupils are responsive," she nodded and updated his chart.

"Doc, what's going on?"

Looking up from the chart, she grimaced. "Sorry, Sir. You had a concussion and–"

"Ya think?" He snapped, rubbing his eyes. "My head…" Jack's voice trailed off as he glanced at the back of his hands. His knuckles were grazed and bruised, his nails clipped shorter than usual and forming a fist hurt. "Doc, what the hell happened?" Slowly and experimentally he started moving his toes, his feet and legs. "Argh," he hissed, pain shooting up his right knee. Fumbling with the hospital sheets for a moment, Jack's hand shot out to his knee.

Janet's brows knitted together as she looked at his knee. "It shouldn't take much longer for the swelling to go down," she told him, gently probing the joint with her fingers. "You will just have to take it easy for a few days, General."

He huffed, still looking at his knees. "Doc?"

Following his line of sight, she noticed the marks he was staring at. "Just some carpet burn, Sir. On your elbows as well." Janet waited until he'd checked them out and then held his gaze. "Sir, do you remember what happened?"

"No," he replied immediately, sounding frustrated – which he was. "Bruised ribs too?" He grimaced, gingerly touching his side.

"Yes Sir."

Jack watched her as she walked to his other side and removed the IV from his hand, disconnected him from the heart monitor and reviewed a print out. He pulled the sheets back up, suddenly feeling self-conscious and lay back, letting his head rest on the pillow. Trying to remember what happened, he closed his eyes and focused. Images whirled through his mind but they didn't make any sense at all. He opened his eyes as he heard Fraiser move around the room and frowned as a few more memories came back to him.  _Samantha…_  "Ah, Doc?"

"There was an outbreak, Sir," Janet told him, standing at the foot of his bed. "Alien virus. We had to go into quarantine, you called a Code Five lockdown before you were affected too. You really don't remember anything, General?"

"Not a thing," he mumbled, aware of her scrutiny. "So, what happened?"

Crossing her arms, she regarded him intensely before continuing. "I placed you and several others in isolation."

"But we're fine now, right?" Jack asked, before making a vague hand gesture to his body. "I mean…"

"Yes Sir, back to normal," she nodded. "Luckily not everyone was affected; only those of you who had been previously infected with the Touched virus had a… severe reaction, the rest of the personnel only had to deal with symptoms similar to a cold."

"Really?" He croaked, his mind conjuring up more images and feelings. "Ah," he cleared his throat, "where did it come from?"

Janet took a few steps closer, her eyes not leaving his face, until she stood next to his bed. "From P2X-913, SG-6 brought it back with them."

"Daniel figured that out?"

She shrugged. "He was affected as well. In the end, it were Nyan and Teal'c who figured it out. As a matter of fact, Teal'c is the one who went back and got the cure. You really don't remember anything, Sir?"

"Nope," he shook his head, trying to act normal as he heard her skepticism. "Why?"

"Well, it seems like my other patients remember most of what happened," Janet informed him, narrowing her eyes. "Sir," she added belatedly.

Jack tried to shrug, despite the pain it caused him. "Well, you did say I had a concussion." Slowly he started remembering more and more, the images practically assaulting him. He couldn't believe it; he had… well, fucked was probably the best description… he had fucked Carter. Several times. He shifted uncomfortably in the infirmary bed as his body reacted to the memories of the feel of her, the way she tasted, smelled and what she'd sounded like.

"I did," Janet reluctantly agreed, not really believing him. "Hopefully it will come back to you soon. After all, it was only a mild concussion, you've had far worse in the field, Sir."

"What about Carter?"

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What about her?" She innocently asked, once again thinking he knew more than he led on.

"Is she okay?" Jack asked and, seeing her expression, he waved his hand around. "What?"

"Nothing," she shook her head slightly, biting back her smile. "Just surprised you asked about Sam… with you not remembering what happened, Sir."

Realizing she was right, he glared at her. "Well, she was infected with the Touched virus as well and since you said only those people were infected this time…"

"Affected in the same way you were," Janet corrected him. "Sam's fine, she's still recovering but physically she'll be fine."

Jack swallowed hard, his heart finally slowing down hearing she would be okay. "Physically?" He croaked, remembering all too well what had happened in his quarters. He'd taken advantage of her, of the situation! God, could she ever forgive him?

"Yes Sir," Janet nodded. "Physically she'll heal, but emotionally is a different story. You all went through a lot, Sir and we're already starting to see fallout. I'll know more once Sam wakes up, though."

"What?" He frowned, needing to know more but also knowing the Doc already suspected he wasn't telling the entire truth.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I can't go into details, Sir."

"She's my second-in-command," Jack protested.

"Well, since you don't remember anything… I guess it now falls under doctor-patient confidentiality Sir," Janet told him with a small smile. Seeing that the General wanted to object but held back, she gave him an inquiring look. "You sure you don't remember, Sir?"

Schooling his features in his trademark blank face, he blinked innocently. "Remember what, Doc?" Jack could tell she was losing her patience with him, but he also knew he wasn't going to tell her a damn thing. Not until he'd talked to Carter, that is. He needed to know how she was doing, what she remembered. What all this meant… The moment she'd stood in front of him, her chest heaving, her shirt hanging open showing her underwear as she snagged the ball chain from around her neck and threw her ring at him suddenly reappeared before his mind's eye. In her altered state of mind, she'd chosen him over the cop! But how did she feel about him now? After everything they'd done, knowing it was only because of an alien virus which had made them revert back to their primitive selves?

"Hmm," Janet murmured, pretending to think it all over as she went back to his chart. "I guess if your memory won't return I'll need to run some extra tests."

"Crap."

"Sir?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "By all means, Doc," he waved his hand around, "do your tests."

"And you'll have to stay here," she continued, glaring at him. "I was about to let you go home as long as your concussion checked out, but I guess this means you'll have to stay overnight." When a groan was his only reaction, Janet sighed. "Maybe even a few days."

"Well, it's not like I ever leave the base anyway," Jack huffed, refusing to give in, even if it meant having to stay in the infirmary. At least this way he'd be close to Carter and he wouldn't have to come up with an excuse to visit her. Just stretching his legs would be fine, maybe they'd even be moved in the medical bay. Granted, it meant less privacy, but he could keep an eye at her and see for himself that she was recovering… although, if she remembered as well and blamed him for what had happened, that might not be best.

Janet was about to tap her foot at his behavior, but kept herself in line. "Of course, if I can't find a medical reason for why you can't remember it could be that you're repressing the memories. Maybe they were too traumatizing."

"I doubt it," he muttered under his breath.

"Obviously I can't help you then."

"I guess so," Jack replied, biting back a smirk.

Janet let out an exasperated sigh and looked him in the eye. "Then I would be forced to send you to Doctor MacKenzie, Sir."

"What?" he choked out. That was just playing dirty!

"I'm afraid so, General," she shrugged. "Because that would mean it's psychological." Janet pressed her lips together when his face fell and tried to appear calm and professional. "But we shouldn't jump to conclusions yet, Sir. I'm hopeful your memories will return on their own, soon."

Jack nodded uncomfortably, not having expected this turn of events. "I hope so too, Doc," he managed to reply, still refusing to budge. "What about the rest of my men?"

Janet informed him about the condition of the base personnel, explaining that only he, Sam, Johnson and a few others were still in the infirmary. It had taken a while for their systems to be cleared of the infection and after that they'd all fallen into a deep sleep, something the natives had warned Teal'c about as the healing process could take its toll. Not to mention that they had been infected since the beginning and were severely sleep deprived. Their bodies had needed the rest, while the infirmary staff had taken care of them. The doctors had assessed their injuries and treated them accordingly, the nurses had bathed them and kept an eye on them following their recovery. Everything on base had gone back to normal, most of the off-world teams had returned and most of the quarantined personnel had been sent home for a couple of days.

"Who's in command now?" Jack asked once the Doc was done. "If Carter is still recovering too…"

"General Hammond came to review the situation, Sir," Janet informed him. "He's taken command temporarily, but Colonel Reynolds is in command now."

"Huh?"

"General Hammond is spending the weekend with his granddaughters, Sir."

Jack frowned in confusion, his eyes immediately going to his left wrist only to realize his watch was gone. "Weekend? That can't be right-"

"You've been asleep for the last three days, Sir," Janet replied with a small smile.

* * *

Jack sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror. His lip was still swollen, courtesy of Carter he recalled. Most of his injuries were, actually, he thought with a small grin he couldn't suppress. He'd always expected his 2IC to be a passionate lover despite her calm demeanor, by-the-book attitude and her often prim and proper image. Still waters and all that… not to mention her need for speed with those bikes of hers. Still, she'd surpassed his wildest expectations this time. His body was still showing the scratches and bruises from their passionate sex. Now that he'd managed to get out of bed on his own and convince Lieutenant Evans that he could bathe himself, thank you very much, he'd checked out his body in front of the mirror.

His mind hadn't stopped providing him with memories since he'd woken up a few hours ago and he could still recall how Carter had dug her nails in him, how she'd practically clawed open his back. He didn't really mind those marks as they were already healing nicely and he usually took pride in making a woman lose control like that, especially someone with Carter's self-control. It just bothered him that it had happened under these circumstances… Looking back, he realized she'd already been too far gone when she'd come to him and he should have stopped her, refused her… As soon as Fraiser had left him to rest, he'd called Reynolds for a debrief and had gotten his hands on the reports filed by the colonel and Fraiser. He now knew that the Doc was right; Carter hadn't been in her right mind when she'd come to him, therefore she could have never consented.

Jack balled his fists, feeling his anger rise – anger directed at himself. He'd taken advantage of her and the situation, he knew Carter would have never had sex with him if this alien virus hadn't happened! She was engaged to get married to Shanahan, for crying out loud! But he'd ignored those thoughts at that time and simply took what she was offering, even though he knew it was wrong. It didn't matter that he'd been infected too, he was her CO and therefore it was up to him to keep everything strictly professional between them. He was close to slamming the wall in frustration, but managed to stop himself because he was sure he'd break some bones in his already injured hand. Chills ran down his spine as one thought kept going through his mind; he'd basically raped Carter.

He hung his head in shame, leaning on bathroom sink with his hands. Trying to control his breathing as to not upset his bruised ribs – courtesy of Teal'c kicking him off Daniel, apparently – he closed his eyes. His thoughts made him wonder if he could even face Carter once she woke up… flashes of what he'd done to her went through his head. How rough he'd been, eager to 'punish' her for moving on. Jack huffed; he'd wanted to hurt her like she'd hurt him when she started dating the cop and got engaged to him. How sick and twisted was it that he'd wanted to hurt the woman he loved for finding happiness?

Feeling bile rise in his throat, he quickly swallowed and took a sip of water. Disgusting was what he was, what his behavior had been like. In his anger and hurt, he'd lost total control over his dark side and he'd ended up treating Carter like a… like what? Jack frowned, he couldn't even think of something that would describe it accurately. Like his personal plaything, to do with as he pleased, with no regard for her wellbeing at all! He groaned, recalling how he'd marked her sweet body, her perfect alabaster skin sprinkled with freckles now marred by him. As if handling the memories wouldn't be enough, she'd be reminded of what he'd done to her for the next few weeks until her skin would heal – Jack shuddered as he realized that deep down that had been exactly his reason for doing it.

A knock sounded on the door, reminding Jack that Daniel was still waiting for him in his room. Splashing some cold water in his face, he straightened and grabbed a towel to dry himself. He grimaced as he bent over and put on the scrubs the archeologist had fetched him. They were worth the pain shooting through his body because at least now he could walk around without people looking at his backside showing through the flimsy hospital gown. He was sure Napoleon used those just to ensure her patients wouldn't run off.

Shaking his head, Jack opened the door and walked into the room.

"Are you okay?" Daniel asked, seeing the effort it took his friend to walk over.

"I'm fine."

He rolled his eyes and plopped back in his chair. "Um, Jack shouldn't you go back to bed?"

"I've been sleeping for three days, Space Monkey. I'm sure I've had my fair share of rest," Jack retorted.

Daniel sighed, throwing him a worried glance. "I only got you the scrubs because you said you'd go back to bed."

"Eventually," he smirked, gathering the paperwork Reynolds had gotten him and putting them back in their folder.

"You can't go to your office or leave the base," Daniel protested, chastising himself for agreeing to get him the outfit. "You don't even have your access card."

Jack quirked a brow at him. "You have yours, don't you?"

"Oh no," he shook his head adamantly. "Besides, Janet instructed the SFs you're not allowed to leave the infirmary."

"Hey, I'm the 'Man', I can belay her order," Jack groused.

Daniel simply shrugged, giving up. "She overrules you in medical matters," he reminded him. "Besides, I think General Hammond agreed with her and he still outranks you."

"Crap."

Grimacing, Daniel rubbed his sore cheek gently and shot Jack a glance. "What were you going to do anyway? Don't tell me you're in a rush to do paperwork."

"Just need to get out of here," he explained, gesturing with his hands to encompass the infirmary. "Sorry about that, by the way," Jack motioned to the bruise on the archeologist's face.

"That's okay," Daniel reassured him as he leaned back in his chair. "We all did some things we wouldn't normally do," he mumbled, casting his eyes downward. Janet had already said she'd forgiven him for attacking her, but he still felt bad about it.

Jack nodded slowly. "Yeah, I heard you went after the Doc," he snickered softly. "Brave man."

"Jack-"

"And you got your ass kicked by our Napoleonic power monger!"

Daniel huffed in a frustrated manner, glaring at his friend. "How do you even know that?"

"Lieutenant Evans told me," Jack smirked. "Now now, Danny-boy," he said in a placating tone, "don't get mad at her; I'm the base commander, she  _has_  to tell me."

Ignoring the older man's teasing, Daniel jumped up from his chair. He knew he'd never live that down! Angrily grabbing his books, he made his way to leave. "I told Teal'c I'd be back. I'm going to see how Sam's doing."

"Ah, yeah… um, about Carter…"

Daniel was already at the door, but hearing his voice trail off, he looked over his shoulder. Jack's entire demeanor had changed, his shoulders were sagged and his hands were stuffed in his pockets. "Janet said she'll be fine," he tried to reassure his friend, sympathizing with him. He had a good idea about what Jack was going through, knowing how he himself felt about attacking Janet.

"Physically."

"What?" Daniel questioned, turning towards him with a puzzled frown.

Jack sighed, his eyes still on the floor. "Doc said Carter will be fine,  _physically_."

"I thought you said you didn't remember anything," Daniel said in surprise, seeing the obvious guilt emanating from his friend.

"Daniel, for crying out loud," Jack exclaimed, glaring at him.

"Why don't you go see for yourself?"

"What?" Jack frowned. "Look… I'm not sure if that's such a good idea," he mumbled, dragging a hand through his hair as he struggled with his emotions. Could he face Carter right now? What if she remembered and blamed him for what had happened? Just coming face to face with him could be upsetting to her, if not downright traumatizing, he thought.

Daniel sighed and took a step closer. "Jack, I won't say I know what happened, but I have a pretty good idea. After all, we were the ones that found you together," he added in a teasing tone, trying to lighten the mood a bit – and pay him back for his remark about Janet.

"I'm not sure if Carter  _wants_  to see me right now, Daniel."

He shrugged in reply. "She's still asleep, it has all taken a toll on her body, wearing her out. And you know Sam, she was probably already sleep deprived before this virus," Daniel chuckled, before turning serious again. "Janet said that you were one of the firsts to come in contact with SG-6 once they returned and you later met with Sam, right? Considering you two were one of the firsts to be infected but one of the last to be affected by this, your immune system and self-control probably wore you out so much. And once you were in isolation, you both got pretty upset being separated. Like Johnson, you were almost literally climbing the walls and banging the door and everything," he explained, blinking behind his glasses.

"Yeah, Fraiser said that's why it took us longer to recuperate than you."

Daniel nodded in agreement. "I was one of the last to be infected and was only affected for about two days. Look Jack, just go see her. You'll see she's fine… just ignore her cheek," he mumbled as an afterthought.

"Why?" Jack asked warily, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh, um," Daniel tapped his fingers nervously on the books in his arms. "Sam sort of… attacked Janet when we were trying to sedate the two of you."

His eyes widened in shock. "Doc Fraiser hit her?"

"Yeah," he nodded slowly, cringing as he recalled the moment. "With the butt of her tranquilizer gun."

"Oy," Jack winced in sympathy.

Daniel agreed and slowly but surely convinced Jack to go visit Sam, knowing his friends would have to see each other sooner or later. And in their case sooner might be best. Maybe this way Jack could get some peace of mind, seeing that Sam was doing relatively fine and come to terms with what happened, preferably before Sam would wake up. They sure had a lot to talk about, even if Jack claimed not to remember anything Daniel knew better.

Jack relented and followed Daniel out in the hall as they went to see Carter. He was sure he hadn't completely recovered yet from his former primitive state of mind, as he still felt the need to see her. Be near her. He was practically yearning to be close to her and, since the archeologist said it would be fine, Jack decided he might as well give in and confront her now. It would be much easier than when she'd be awake, now he would have the time to figure out his feelings and how to approach Carter once she was back to normal. He could think it all through, come up with a way to deal what has happened and how he should repair his friendship with Carter. That is, if she would ever be willing to speak to him again…

Daniel opened the door and beckoned Teal'c, who'd been staying with Sam, over to them.

"Daniel Jackson, has something transpired with O'Neill?" Teal'c inquired as he joined the Tau'ri in the corridor. He raised his eyebrow once he saw O'Neill standing there as well. "O'Neill, I was not aware Doctor Fraiser allowed you to roam the corridors of Stargate Command."

"He wants to see how Sam's doing," Daniel explained.

Jack shifted on his bare feet and looked up at his Jaffa friend. "I ah… Ah, I need a moment with Carter," he stated uncomfortably, wondering if the Jaffa would even allow him access to the room by the way he was guarding the door now.

"Indeed," Teal'c replied, inclining his head and stepping aside. "Much has transpired between you."

Surprised at his comment, Jack frowned before shrugging and slipping into Carter's private room.

"You think we can leave them alone?" Daniel asked, looking at Teal'c. "Might as well go eat something then," he added as the Jaffa inclined his head. "I'm starving."

Teal'c clasped his hands behind his back and joined Daniel Jackson on his way to the elevator. "Indeed, I am in need of nourishment as well."


	30. Chapter 30

Jack stood in the far corner of Carter's private room, his eyes glued to the bed and her sleeping form. Emotions were rushing through him as he took in her appearance and unbidden memories whirled in his mind. He had only allowed himself to stand by her side for a few moments, as he'd checked for himself that she was alright and still asleep. Being that near to her wasn't wise, for either of them – he simply didn't trust himself after everything that had happened and the pull he felt towards her. She looked so small and fragile in the infirmary bed, with her pale complexion and the IV and heart monitor hooked up to her. Her slightly swollen cheek with the stitches and her swollen red lips were a stark contrast to her pallor and the white sheets. Still, she looked beautiful to him and he'd wanted to reach out to her, caress her face and let his fingers slide through the blonde strands of hair. But he couldn't, he wasn't allowed since he was still the base commander, her CO.

Hell, considering what he'd done to her he didn't deserve his rank, or his freedom! Jack winced, recalling how he'd brutally taken her with no regard to her feelings. He'd always prided himself on his self-control and yet he'd let his dark side take over and hurt the woman he loved more than anything. It didn't matter that she'd come to him, he should have rejected her – or better yet, dragged her off to the infirmary! He let out a humorless chuckle at the thought and ran a hand through his unruly hair. "Yeah, 'cause  _that_  went so well last time," he muttered to himself, thinking back to seven years ago when she'd jumped him in the locker room – again under the influence of an alien virus. Even though he'd told Doc Fraiser he didn't recall what had happened – not now, nor during the outbreak of the Touched virus – he did.

At first he'd been telling the truth, but when he'd been with Carter in his quarters his mind had connected the dots! The dreams weren't dreams or fantasies at all, but snippets from his memory from that fateful day in the locker room. He'd found it hard to believe, would have even ridiculed anyone who would have suggested it had actually happened until he'd seen that scar on Carter's shoulder. One he was intimately familiar with, although it hadn't been at the time… Nope, he'd been the one who'd given it to her, again trying to mark her as his. He still didn't know  _why_  he hadn't been able to remember anything but he was sure the Doc could explain it to him – not that he would ever tell her.

"God," Jack sighed, dragging a hand over his face. As if these past few days hadn't been enough, now he knew he'd done something similar to Carter years ago! He groaned, wondering why all of this had happened. Well, he knew it had happened because his feelings for Carter were anything  _but_  professional and he was a selfish bastard who couldn't control himself long enough to  _not_  hurt the woman he loved. But Carter didn't deserve any of this… and if he had remembered what happened during the Touched virus, why wouldn't she? If she didn't hate him already for what he'd done this time around, she sure had enough reason with those recollections.

It didn't matter that they had been under the influence of an alien virus, at least not to Jack. He was her CO and it was his job to keep her safe, not fantasize about her in the middle of the night or take advantage of her when she wasn't in her right mind. She trusted him with her life and had probably turned to him asking for help. And what had he done? Jumped at the chance to screw her  _and_  the frat regs! He hung his head in shame and closed his eyes, which were burning with suppressed tears of anger and shame. Because deep down he knew he had enjoyed it far too much and despite everything, he still wanted her.

A soft moan captured his attention, his head snapping up to look at her. His eyes were immediately drawn to her lips, which were – even swollen and slightly chapped – enough to fill his mind with memories of how good they had felt on his own, on his skin and wrapped around him… Jack shook himself, feeling his blood pressure soar at the memory. Tearing his eyes from her mouth, he saw her eyelids flutter before her eyes opened and took in the surroundings. There was a slight increase in her heart rate as she came to and he stood there, in his little corner, frozen.  _Crap, now what_? He asked himself, wondering if could sneak out unnoticed because he wasn't sure if he could face her! She was supposed to stay asleep, damn it!

Her brows furrowed as she looked around and Jack knew she was searching for her team – or, dare he hope, even him – and wondering why there was no one sitting with her as had become their normal routine since SG-1 was formed. He also knew that she probably couldn't discern his form in the darkness. Teal'c had obviously been kelno'reem-ing in here while standing guard, despite the lack of candles, since most of the lights were turned off and only a dim light above Carter's head was on – bathing her in a surreal glow, making her look even more angelic to him. Jack felt his anger flare again at the sight of her blonde halo as she tried to sit up and hissed in discomfort. Remembering what he'd subjected her to, he could imagine a dozen reasons for her pain.

Jack was torn what to do; should he remain silent and let her suffer until she fell asleep again, or should he try and help her out but risk hurting her emotionally? He swallowed hard and tried to keep his hands from fidgeting as not to betray his presence. What if Carter pressed the call button and a nurse – or worse, the Doc – would come rushing in and his cover would be blown? Setting aside his own feelings and needs, he took a soft step forward, his eyes locked on Carter.

"Sir?" Sam croaked, blinking her eyes a few times to make sure he was really there and not a figment of her imagination. Her throat was soar and her mouth dry and, God, the rest of her body was aching too. It almost felt like she'd been run over by a truck, or at least that was what she assumed it would feel like considering Newton's laws of motion, mechanics and the average weight and speed of a truck… She winced, her head was throbbing and it hurt to think – or move.

"Carter," Jack replied, his voice a bit hoarse. Clearing his throat, he took a step closer and gestured towards her in general, mindful of his own injuries of course. "How are you feeling?"

For a moment, she contemplated telling him she felt like crap, but seeing his outfit and the way he moved she figured he had enough to deal with on his own. "Fine, Sir."

"Of course you are," he muttered, averting his eyes when her tongue darted out to wet her lips. "Ah, you ah… Want some water?"

Sam nodded, bringing her hand up to her throat. She winced as her fingers brushed over her skin and she assumed it was bruised. Watching her CO gingerly move toward her with a cup of water, she brought her hand up to her cheek and gently caressed the skin, grimacing when she felt the swelling and the butterfly stitches. She briefly wondered if she looked as bad as the General or maybe even worse? Her brain was already going light-years a minute despite her head injury as she tried to recall what happened.

Jack was watching her for signs as he neared her bed and froze when she blanched and looked at him with a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look. His outstretched hand, offering her the cup, froze midair and trembled under her stare. He closed his eyes in resignation, waiting for her angry accusations and unable to look at her as he was sure she'd be even more embarrassed under his attention.

"S-Sir?" She stammered, her eyes darting from the cup to his face and back. Her throat closed up and she felt her cheeks burning up as the memories rushed through her mind. God, she hadn't… had they actually…? "Sir?"

There was a reason she was the smart one, Jack thought, knowing she was starting to remember. Her voice was still hoarse from sleep and maybe all the screaming from when they'd been separated… he forced himself not to think about all the other moments she'd been rather vocal, but his body still reacted as the images flashed through his head. "Yeah?"

"… dream?" Sam whispered, her voice breaking and she swallowed again, even the simple movement painful. She saw him give her an inquiring look, his eyes looking even darker in his pale face and she briefly wondered what kind of emotions were flashing through his eyes but they were all too fleeting to recognize.

He recognized the hope shining from her eyes and had to look away, his own emotions becoming almost too much. Instead of giving her an answer – no doubt crushing her – he handed her the cup of water and held its straw, offering it to her.

"Was it… all a… dream?" She croaked out in between sips, her hands clenching in the sheets as she sent up a little prayer. It  _had_  to be, right?

Jack slowly shook his head and took a step back as she seemed mortified. How he wished he could tell her it was all a dream!

Sam set the cup aside and, even though the movement made her aware of the ache between her thighs, she couldn't believe it. "Tell me it was all a dream," she almost begged, her eyes suddenly burning with unshed tears. "Sir?"

Hanging his head, he looked at her from under his lashes as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "No can do, Dorothy."

"Oh God," she gasped, her hand trembling as she covered her mouth with it. Her sight turned bleary as she cast her eyes down to her lap. How could she have gone to him like that? Begging him to sleep with her? Sam suppressed a sob as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her when more memories came to her. She had been shameless, going to her CO to seduce him and then… well, sleeping wasn't really an adequate term considering they hadn't done much of that.

Jack's hands yearned to take her in his arms, offer her a comforting hug as he murmured a "C'mere", but he knew he couldn't. Not now, especially not now! Not after everything that happened between them, what he had done to her! He watched her cautiously as she processed everything, making sure not to make any sudden movements or scare her otherwise. When he saw her lower lip tremble and a big fat tear roll down her cheek he felt like the biggest bastard in the world and he had to force himself to stay put. His first instinct was to comfort her, but he knew now that was a bad plan and running away was cowardly – he would stay here to receive her wrath unless she wanted him to leave. He swallowed hard and shifted on his feet as she continued to sniffle and sob silently. He had always been bad with crying women, but now he had absolutely no idea what to do. He knew it had been a bad plan to go see her!

Before either of them could do or say anything, the door opened and the tell-tale clicking of heels announced Janet Fraiser's arrival. Suddenly the light was turned on, bathing the entire room in the harsh fluorescent lighting.

Sam tried to sit up straight and quickly brushed her errant tears away, wincing as her hand bumped against her injured cheek.

"Sam, you're awake!" Janet exclaimed as she walked into the room. "Why didn't you call for me? How are you feeling, honey?"

"I'm fine," she managed to say, waving her hand around in a vague gesture.

Janet's eyes narrowed when she saw General O'Neill standing a few feet from the bed. "General! What are you doing out of bed? You're not supposed to be here," she said in her most authoritative voice.

"Oh, for crying out loud, Doc," Jack sighed, rolling his eyes in an exasperated manner. "I was just checking on my… 2IC."

"I see," she replied in a no-nonsense tone. "Well, she's awake now so why don't you go back to your room and get some rest, Sir. I have to examine her," Janet added when he was about to protest. "Rest, Sir. It speeds up the recovery process and might even help you remember," she added dryly.

Sam frowned in confusion, but gave him a watery smile when he cast a glance at her. "I'm fine, Sir. Please go," she nodded, not wanting him to overexert himself for her – she was feeling bad enough about the whole thing already!

Janet watched as General O'Neill slowly walked out of the room, obviously keeping his weight off his bad knee and trying not to aggravate his ribs, while he grumbled under his breath. Once he was gone, she closed the door and pulled the curtain in front of it. "Now tell me Sam, how are you really feeling?"

"I feel awful, Janet," Sam replied, suppressing another sob. She didn't usually cry, but her emotions were getting the best of her and she was so embarrassed! "God, I can't believe what I did…"

Grabbing a sphygmomanometer, Janet reached for her patient's left arm and put the cuff on. "You can't blame yourself, Sam," she tried to reassure her friend as she held up her finger to forestall a response and used her stethoscope to hear the right Korotkoff sounds as she slowly released the pressure. "Your blood pressure is good," she announced with a smile as she straightened and hung her stethoscope back around her neck and removed the cuff. "You were under the influence of an alien virus," she continued as she jotted down the vitals.

"Again?" Sam groaned, raising her eyes at the CMO as she stood at the foot of the bed with her chart.

"How much do you remember?" Janet inquired before putting the chart down.

She shrugged, which elicited another jab of pain. "Not sure."

Janet only raised a brow at that and decided not to pry any further for now, obviously her patient was already upset enough. "Okay, I need to check your injuries."

Sam pushed back the sheet and leaned forward, her eyes widening as she took in the bruises on her legs. "Janet, what happened?"

Taking a deep breath, she decided to just spit it out. "We found you and General O'Neill together in his quarters… mating."

"What?"

Patting her shoulder, Janet pushed her back in the pillows. "It looks like the virus was similar to the Touched virus in origin, but evolved over the last few centuries in a different environment. It's a miracle really, that it managed to survive on P2X-913 since the natives appear to be immune."

Sam simply nodded, waiting for her to continue as she took in more of her injuries.

"You and the rest that had been infected with the Touched virus weren't immune though and the effect was very similar, only without the physical changes and there still seemed to be some cognitive abilities."

"Great," she muttered, as the CMO opened her gown.

Janet examined the different blue and purplish bruises as well as the bite marks on Sam's skin and was pleased to see they were all healing well. "Your primitive instincts were still very present though and it appears you sought out the most suitable alpha male to mate with."

"Again," Sam groaned, rubbing her eyes with her hand.

"But at least you're fine now," Janet smiled at her, while examining the back of her head. "It looks like you bumped your head against the wall or maybe the floor and you had a slight concussion, but it's nothing you haven't had before."

Sam nodded, already having come to the same conclusion from her headache. "What about… you know," she motioned her hand, trying to indicate the rest of her body.

"I will give you some ointments for the carpet burn, cuts and bruises, as well as an antiseptic cream for the bite marks," she summed up, pointing out several of the injuries with her finger. "If you promise to eat well, rest and use the medication I'm going to give you, I think you can be released today."

"I will, I promise!"

Janet assumed she'd want some time to process all this without staying on base and she saw no reason to keep her here in the infirmary. "However…"

"What?" Sam questioned, putting the gown back and grimacing as she moved her arms above her head.

"Due to the circumstances I was forced to perform a rape kit," Janet slowly explained and, seeing Sam nod her understanding, continued. "You have slight vaginal tearing, indicating rough sex. Considering this and your other injuries, I would advise you to refrain from having sexual intercourse until the soreness is gone."

Sam nodded mutely and reached for her cup of water. Right now, sex was the last thing on her mind! She took a few more sips of water, before setting the cup away again. "Don't worry, Janet, it's the last thing on my mind right now."

"I can imagine," she muttered, guessing how sore her friend must be. "Oh, I will also give you some extra butterfly stitches for your cheek. You know the drill, right?"

"Yeah," she replied slowly, glancing at the doctor. "What happened to my cheek anyway?"

Janet looked away, busying herself with Sam's chart. "Um… We tried to sedate you and General O'Neill and you resisted. When you tried to attack us, you were hit in the face. I've used soluble stitches and if you use the butterfly stitches over them correctly, there probably won't even be a scar."

"Okay," Sam mumbled. "So, when can I go home?"

"I'll go get the medication we discussed and get you some clothes. I'll be back as soon as I can," Janet promised her, helping her adjust the sheet over her body before leaving the room.

* * *

Sam groaned as she moved through the corridor, her joints still aching from her incident with the General. But at least she was finally going home. It had taken hours for Janet to return and Daniel and Teal'c had popped in in the meantime, making sure she had some blue jello and just kept her company. Neither of them had spoken about what had happened between her and General O'Neill and she was grateful for that. Daniel's help had been needed with some translations however and Teal'c left for a mission as he was loaned out to another SG team while the rest of SG-1 – her and Daniel – were recovering.

She'd been a bit shocked to hear Daniel had attacked Janet, but had to suppress a chuckle as he'd explained how he'd ended up with a broken nose and a couple of bruises on his face. But he graciously accepted it, saying he deserved it for attacking their friend. Sam had simply nodded and refrained from commenting on her own actions, or those of the General. And now, late on Sunday night, she was finally leaving the SGC and going home.

It was hard to believe it was already Sunday and she could just imagine the state of her house, since Pete had to work the entire week and she'd been cooped up in here. She still hadn't figured out what to tell him about her injuries or how to handle him at all, right now. Time, she needed time to think it all through. Even though she had started remembering, she still wasn't sure about what had happened exactly and how to deal with this all. Maybe if she got home and took a long hot bath, she could shed some light on this entire situation.

"Carter!"

She froze, seeing the General peeking out from what she assumed to be his private room. "Sir," she replied in an even tone, trying to keep her face straight and not show her inner turmoil. If she were honest, she had no idea how to face him after all this!

"What'cha doing?"

"Going home, Sir," she spoke through gritted teeth as she moved through the corridor in her slow pace. Janet hadn't been kidding when she'd told her she'd be sore for a while! Sam had hardly been able to sit up straight and her jeans weren't very comfortable either. Not to mention her lace underwear on her chafed skin. God, this was embarrassing!

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Doc is letting you go home?"

"Yes Sir," she hissed, now almost near his door.

"Carter, you okay? Look… I think we need to… um, talk about this," he said, obviously a bit uncomfortable.

Sam closed her eyes, clenching her jaw against the dull pain between her thighs. The pain killers that had been administered through her IV had obviously worn out since a nurse had taken the IV out as soon as Janet had left. But now it was hours later and although Janet had given her some painkillers along with the other meds, Sam had thought she could make it home and was afraid Janet would keep her in the infirmary if she knew how much pain she was in. "Look Sir," she spoke through gritted teeth, "I really don't have time for this now."

"What?"

"With all due respect, Sir," Sam nearly groaned, already blushing as his proximity brought up more memories. "I'm not ready for… this, yet."

Jack tried to swallow around the lump in his throat and nodded numbly. "Of course, Carter. You're right, go home. Um… There's no rush, I don't want to… just let me know when you're ready," he added in a defeated tone, casting his eyes downward to the floor.

"Yes Sir," she replied, briskly walking towards the elevator as she tried to ignore her aching body as well as the effect he was having on her.

He watched her go and only returned to his bed when she entered the elevator. Obviously she'd had time to think about this and she didn't want to see him. Be near him or talk to him. He understood, he wouldn't want that either if he were in her shoes. Not after what he'd done to her. With a sigh, Jack leaned back against the pillows as he let his arm rest over his eyes.


	31. Chapter 31

Sam wrapped a towel around her wet body as she drained the bathtub and blew out the candles in her bathroom. She toweled her hair dry before brushing her teeth and inspected the cut on her cheek in the mirror. It had been five days since she'd left the infirmary and the cut was healing nicely. Janet had dropped by a couple of times in the past few days and had told her it wouldn't be long before the sutures would be absorbed. There probably wouldn't even be a scar. The CMO had also said the recovery of the other injuries was looking good too.

After rinsing her face and applying moisturizer, Sam put new butterfly bandages on her cheek just to make sure the wound would heal properly. Then she toweled off her body, still careful of the bite marks and bruises marring her skin. Once she was done, she hung the towel on a rack and moved to the bedroom. She kept the ointments for the marks there and grimaced as she caught sight of her bruised hips and thighs in the floor mirror in the corner of the room when she reached for them.

She had been injured before, lots of times especially during her time at the SGC, but this time it was different. The places and forms of the bruises kept reminding her of what had happened between her and General O'Neill. They had changed color this past week, most were yellowish-brown, some just yellow with a greenish tint and it wouldn't be long until they'd start fading, she knew that. But she also knew the bite marks wouldn't disappear so quickly… let alone the memory of what she had done with her CO in his private base quarters.

Just thinking about it made her feel ashamed of her actions and the slight jolt of arousal embarrassed her even more. Sam frowned at her thoughts, once again wondering when she'd be able to face her CO. He hadn't contacted her and Janet and her teammates had told her he was on medical leave as well. His ribs, knee and concussion were reason enough for General Hammond to send him home to recover once Janet had discharged him from the infirmary a couple of days ago. She knew they had to talk, soon, before they would both go back to work. Not being allowed on base was driving Sam crazy and she was pretty sure it was the same for the General, even though she was more of a workaholic than he was, but he couldn't go fishing since Janet and General Hammond had ordered him to stay at his house in Colorado Springs so that the doctor could check in on him and their friends, Daniel and Teal'c, could help him with his groceries and stuff.

The same applied to her, but she didn't have a cabin to escape to. Sam let out a humorless chuckle when she recalled Janet telling her she'd rather not have her drive over to Denver to stay with Pete. One of the things she hated about being forced on medical leave was all the spare time she had to think about things. She couldn't work in her lab or on her bikes, the situation didn't really allow her to focus on catching up on science journals or something similar – instead, she was constantly reminded of what had happened when she was infected with the alien virus. And Sam couldn't deny – to herself – that her actions had something to do with her unresolved feelings for General John J. O'Neill. The memories of the events – last week and seven years ago – kept assaulting her with their vividness. They kept her awake at night and when she finally did fall asleep, she'd dream about him and them being together. The only thing that had failed to occupy her mind was Pete Shanahan, her fiancé. Or rather, her former fiancé.

Sam put on some lingerie and sagged down on the bed to apply the ointments to her injuries. At least it didn't hurt anymore, she'd gotten used to the aches and pains from the abuse her body had taken and she could finally move around normally. Even though she was healing, she was still getting some odd looks the few times she went out for groceries with her cheek drawing the most attention. She counted herself lucky this happened in the winter so her scarf and winter clothes hid the bruises, hickeys, bite marks and cuts. It would only be a couple of more days until the bruises would fade and eventually nothing would show on the outside. But that would take time and that hadn't been in her favor lately. Sam had still been trying to figure out what had happened when she'd gotten home at first, the thought of Pete and explaining what had happened – as far as she could – hadn't even occurred to her.

Unfortunately for her, the cure Teal'c had gotten from the natives on P2X-913 didn't miraculously heal them of every injury and she'd dreaded the moment she'd have to face Pete once she heard his messages on her voicemail. He only had limited security clearance and although he had been informed about a quarantine at the mountain, she couldn't tell him the specifics. She  _wouldn't_  tell him the specifics, even if she was allowed. Because really, what would she say? That she was sorry that she'd been infected with an alien virus that had made her jump her CO several times until she'd finally locked the two of them in his quarters, so that they could 'mate' and claim each other for hours? God, she didn't even have her engagement ring anymore and she had no idea where it had ended up. All she could recall was rejecting her fiancé by throwing her ring away before jumping General O'Neill.

The worst part was that she hadn't felt any guilt at the time – her mind had only been focused on claiming her CO. And although she wanted the ground to swallow her up every time she thought back to what exactly had taken place, it had been the best sex in her life. In hindsight probably a bit too rough for her liking considering her injuries, but with all the elevated hormone levels in her body she had hardly registered the discomfort. The memory of his touch, the way he'd felt inside of her and the raw power he'd exuded still made her blood zing. And the feelings all of this had elicited had clearly overshadowed her feelings for Pete.

Blushing, Sam acknowledged the truth in that as she put on some socks and pulled on her robe. The first day back home she had ignored those thoughts and hadn't done much of anything besides soaking her sore body in a hot bath and catching up on more sleep. But the second day Pete had called, asking twenty questions because he'd found out the quarantine had been lifted – she still didn't know how he'd found out, but she assumed he'd been able to contact the base. Since her body was still speaking more than a thousand words at the time, she'd brushed him off with her standard reply – "It's classified, I'm fine" – not yet ready to face him and try to explain. By the third day she was fending off Daniel's questions, as well as Janet's 'subtle' inquiries. Those had been followed by a call from Pete during dinner, which she'd been sharing with Teal'c who had insisted on keeping her company even though he hardly said a word.

A small smile played on her face. Teal'c was the only one who hadn't been bombarding her with a million questions. He was simply there in case she needed him. Well, him and General O'Neill. Sam frowned again as her sock-clad feet took her to the kitchen for a cup of tea. It was odd she hadn't heard anything from the General, he'd usually at least call to check in with her if he wasn't dropping by unexpectedly. Then again, this was a rather… awkward situation they had found themselves in. She couldn't even begin to imagine what was going through his head, she was far too busy with her own feelings!

Yesterday Sam had gone out to meet with Pete, as they had agreed over the phone the night before. She still hadn't been feeling too hot, but she knew she couldn't avoid him much longer. Besides, what had happened in the General's quarters had finally made her face that her relationship with Pete wasn't what she'd been telling the guys and Janet these past few months. They weren't a wedding material-couple. Her heart simply wasn't in it and she knew it wasn't fair to Pete to keep him in the dark about her epiphany. Even if that meant she had to go out if she didn't really feel up to it.

Of course he had been shocked to see her when she'd arrived. So had she, just for a different reason. Apparently, her pre-incident musings about their relationship and living situation had been unnecessary; Pete had already bought them a house! No questions, no house hunting, no discussions on what kind of arrangements would be best considering their respective incomes and current housing… No, he had simply gone out and bought her a house. A house! Sam shook her head, still stumped that he'd done that. That he apparently cared so little for her opinion on something this important. If she'd had any doubts about them before that, the house had assuaged her feelings. Telling him had still been hard though, breaking his heart like that without being able to tell him that she never really loved him enough anyway, that her feelings for her CO would always overshadow any other romantic relationship. Pete had taken it… well, better than she'd expected.

Groaning with disappointment and defeat, Sam realized she was back to square one; she was right back to the point in her life at which she'd been when she'd been stranded on  _Prometheus_. She finally had to admit – only to herself – that she was still in love with her CO and that the happiness her hallucinated father told her about would probably always elude her. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she just fall for the attentions of a simple, normal kind of guy like Pete? Rolling her eyes at herself, she opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of white wine, her herbal tea already forgotten.

As she poured the wine in a glass, her eye caught the blinking light of her answering machine. With reluctance, she pushed the play button after placing the bottle back in the fridge. She cringed when the fake chipper tone of Elaine Hawkins filled the room.

" _Hiya Samantha, it's me Elaine! Now I know what happened with you and Mister Shanahan,"_ the wedding planner's voice rose an octave _, "but I'm telling you; it's just cold feet! Trust me honey, I have plenty of experience with people like you. You and your fiancé make an excellent couple and I just know that the two of you will be very happy in that new house of yours. Now, I took the liberty of contacting my brother-in-law, he's a therapist and he and his partner specialize in couples therapy. I told him all about you and he's very excited to meet you and help you two through this. I gave him your number and-"_

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Sam cried out, slamming her hand on the answering machine. What was that woman's problem? Was she that desperate for clients? Taking a sip of her wine, Sam grabbed the phone and dialed Elaine's number. When the assistant answered the phone, she told him very clearly that she no longer wished to use the services of Miss Hawkins and that she would appreciate it if they would remove her phone numbers from their computer.

She had barely finished when there was a knock on her door. Puzzled as to who it could be, Sam hung up and placed the receiver on the counter. Janet had already visited her this morning and Daniel and Teal'c would drop by tomorrow, taking Cassie with them for their chess game. Swallowing another gulp of wine she moved to the corridor, using her free hand to smooth her uncombed hair back before opening the door. "Sir!"

Jack stared at her for a second, his eyes doing a quick onceover of her fluffy socks, the white robe and her slightly wet hair. "Carter," he finally uttered, smirking a bit uncomfortable even though he tried to appear self-assured. "Isn't it a bit early for that?" He jokingly asked, gesturing at her glass when she just stood there.

"It's past seventeen hundred hours," Sam replied automatically, thrown a bit off track by his unexpected visit and remark.

"So," Jack drawled as he rocked on his feet. "Can I come in?"

Her eyes widened in shock and she gaped a little before stepping aside and opening the door further. "Oh, of course. Sorry Sir."

He gave her a reassuring smile as he stepped in, his head whipping around as he made his way to the kitchen. He didn't want to interrupt anything in case the cop was around… "So, how are you, Carter?"

"I'm fine," Sam said as she followed him in. "Can I get you something to drink?"

Jack shook his head and took a step closer to her. Grabbing her glass, he set it aside and captured both her hands in his to check out her nails, fingers and knuckles. They were healing nicely, he noticed, just like the cut on her cheek. "You sure?" He asked in a whisper as he brought his hand up to the angry bruise on her cheek to brush over the butterfly bandages.


	32. Chapter 32

Sam nodded mutely, her eyes fixed on his dark brown ones. She drew in a shaky breath as his hand came up to her cheek, his fingers brushing over the injury in a feather light caress. The touch so tender, such a contrast to the last time they touched that it made her eyes flutter close as memories flashed through her mind.

Jack was still unsure of how to handle the situation despite his false bravado and he watched her anxiously as he followed his gut. His gaze softened as Carter closed her eyes and stood unmoving under his touch. He'd half expected her to flinch when he stepped closer, let alone allow him to touch her. It hadn't even been his intention to do so and he was still a bit shocked at his own behavior, but he'd already brushed his fingers over the small butterfly stitches before his brain processed it. Unable to stop himself, he let his fingers trail over her cheek to brush a few strands of hair behind her ear. The corners of his mouth turned slightly upwards when his hand cupped her cheek and she leaned against his palm.

Two weeks ago letting her CO cup and caress her cheek was something Sam would have never imagined, but right now it felt  _right_. She still didn't know how they would get past everything that happened last week, but right now they seemed closer – more intimate – than they'd been for months if not longer. His touch, their contact and proximity was something she needed at this moment, it reassured her that maybe, just maybe she hadn't ruined everything between them. Maybe they could retain their friendship and working relationship, even if she craved for more. There was nothing that could be done about that, she knew that and had known it for years. Which was why she started seeing Pete in the first place. Right now though, this was what she needed even though it was against the regs.

His eyes never left her face, intent on picking up on any non-verbal cues and Jack felt relieved that she seemed to need the contact just as much. Feeling her cheek heat up under his touch, he followed the creeping blush with his eyes and frowned when he noticed the bruising on her neck. "I'm glad you're okay," he confessed in a soft tone, breaking the silence.

Sam opened her eyes and found his intense dark gaze on her. She smiled in reassurance, her lips brushing against his rough palm with the movement. His reaction told her he'd felt it the same instant she did and she missed the contact immediately as he dropped his hands and took a step back. "Yeah," she cleared her throat awkwardly, looking around for a distraction and ending up grabbing her glass of wine. "Janet said I'll be good as new in a few days."

"Days?" He challenged her, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "Look Carter, I-"

"I'm fine, Sir," Sam repeated her earlier words. "You're the one with the concussion, bruised ribs and bad knee."

Jack shrugged indifferently, his fingers fiddling with the zipper of his coat. "Yeah, I have to talk to Teal'c about those ribs," he grumbled. "But hey, I've had plenty of concussions."

"I don't think that's a good thing, Sir," she said, taking a sip of wine. "Cumulative concussions," she clarified.

"Doc said I'll be fine," he smirked at her. Another silence fell as he watched her take another sip, racking his brain to come up with something to start talking about what happened. It wouldn't be long now until Carter would get back to work and he had to get back to command the base soon too, since Hammond was needed back in DC. Reynolds was still helping Hammond out, but Jack knew he wasn't the right person for it – after all, Carter was his 2IC and should run the base in his absence. The only problem was that they had both been affected by this virus and Reynolds wasn't. "I've got nothing," he finally said.

"Sir?" Sam questioned, puzzled by his statement.

Sighing, Jack leaned on the counter with his elbows, mindful of his ribs. "Carter, we need to… talk, about what happened." He grimaced at the thought of having to open up about his feelings, but he knew it was necessary for them to be able to get back to their working relationship. He didn't want to lose her as his 2IC. Not to mention that he needed to apologize about his behavior and hopefully they could clear the air so they could both move on with their lives. Even if that meant that Carter would still get married to that cop…

She nodded slowly, fear and shame rising as he broached the subject she had been avoiding for these last few days. What in god's name could she say to excuse her behavior? How to explain what she'd done and why? "I know," she mumbled, swirling the last of her wine in her glass. "Let's go to the living room."

"I might need that drink after all," Jack replied sullenly as she padded away.

"Help yourself." Sam gestured towards the fridge and the cabinets. "There's wine and beer, unless you want something stronger."

Opening the appliance, Jack cast a glance at her glass. "Need a refill?" He looked inside the fridge and frowned. "A  _box_  of wine, Carter? Maybe Fraiser overlooked some head trauma," he mumbled, eyeing the duck on the front.

Sam blushed, but stopped herself from explaining it was Pete's favorite. "There's an opened bottle in the door," was all she said before she continued to the living room, waiting for him to join her.

He grabbed the bottle for her and a beer for himself and slowly walked over to the couch, still unsure about what to say. Without a word he refilled her glass and sat down next to her. Carter had tucked her feet underneath her, making her look even smaller with the robe covering her frame. Jack tried to ignore the fact she was only wearing a robe, forcing his mind to focus on the situation at hand. There were more important things than his overactive libido or the feelings she still elicited in him, now even stronger than before. "So…"

"So," she reiterated with a small smile, feeling a bit underdressed and vulnerable with him so near.

After five minutes of silence, Jack cleared his throat and leaned back. Dragging a hand through his hair, he sighed. "We have to talk about… this, Carter," he said, making a vague gesture with his hand.

"Yes Sir," Sam agreed in a soft voice. She shifted on the couch, careful to keep herself covered with the robe as his dark eyes roamed over her. "I, ah… Er, I think I should apologize, Sir."

"What?" He barked, confused as to why  _she_  should apologize.

She winced slightly at his tone and, seeing him sip his beer from the corner of her eye, let her eyes dart around the room to avoid his gaze. "I was the one who, um… initiated contact and-"

"No," Jack interrupted her as he shook his head. "It wasn't your fault, it was that damn virus. Doc Fraiser explained what happened and I should have maintained control over the situation."

"With all due respect, Sir," Sam said slowly, her brows knitted together in confusion. "You were also infected with the virus."

He jumped up from the couch and paced around. "I should have resisted."

"I practically, ah… threw myself at you," she admitted, her cheeks burning. "More than once."

"Fraiser said that I was one of the first to be infected but was able to resist because of my training," Jack argued, glaring at her. "And I'm your superior."

Sam nearly rolled her eyes at him, wondering why they were even arguing over whose fault it was when she'd been the one to lock them in the room together. "But Sir-"

"I'm not just a superior officer Carter, I'm your  _commanding_  officer. I should have known better and am fully responsible-"

"No, you're not!" Sam exclaimed, also jumping up from the couch. Seeing him stop in his tracks with a stunned look on her face, she smiled sheepishly. "Not responsible," she clarified. "Sir… I knew in the back of my mind that what I was doing was wrong but I just…"

 _Couldn't help myself_ , Jack finished in his head as her voice trailed off. "Carter," he sighed in an exasperated manner. "As your CO I am responsible for you and I should make sure no lines are crossed. This, what we did," he gestured wildly, "is unacceptable. Inexcusable even."

She was slightly surprised at his vehemence and yet she wasn't; she had known him for a long time now and she knew how protective he was of the people under his command. "Janet said we weren't responsible for our actions, we were under the influence of an alien virus. We're not the only ones who've crossed the line, Sir."

"That doesn't matter," he argued. Jack knew he was irreverent at times and deserved most of the insubordination marks on his record, but he'd meant what he said to General Ryan a few years ago; he loved the Air Force. He respected the regulations as well, especially the fraternization regulations, even if he didn't always show it. But this time he'd gone too far with Carter. "Carter… what I did to you is disgusting. I practically raped you for crying out loud! Look at you!" He waved his hand at her, her alabaster neck and cheek bruised and her robe showed glimpses of her bruised legs as she paced around.

Stunned, Sam stared at him. "You didn't… It wasn't rape," she said slowly, her mind going light-years a minute.

"How much do you remember?" Jack asked brusquely, stopping in front of her.

She looked down at the floor, feeling distraught and emotional. "Everything," she whispered, glancing up at him from underneath her lashes.

"Then you know," he pointed out. Seeing her confusion he dragged a frustrated hand through his hair. "Carter, I lost my self-control and what I did to you… I forced you, I didn't even give you a choice."

"I came to you," Sam reminded him, understanding the guilt weighing on him – but disagreeing.

Jack turned his back to her and stalked off to the window, shaking his head. "I'm not just talking about my quarters."

"Then I guess I forced myself on you too."

"Oh for crying out loud," he spat, turning around angrily. "Seven years ago, Carter. Remember that?"

Sam's mind immediately filled with memories from the locker room, how she had attacked him. More and more memories of that day had returned to her this past week and she nodded slowly. "I tried to… seduce you."

"And I took advantage of you," Jack retorted with disdain.

"You dragged me to the infirmary," she countered.

He huffed, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Eventually, yeah."

Sam swallowed hard and took a step closer to him. "As I recall, I didn't give you much choice back then. Nor this time."

"That's not true."

"Look," she sighed, squeezing his arm in reassurance. "We were infected, I seduced you both times and your body reacted because of the virus. If anything, I took advantage of you," Sam summed up, her cheeks burning with embarrassment but she realized he needed to hear it.

Jack hung his head and rocked on his feet. "I lost my self-control… Carter, I have a dark side and it reared its ugly head this time. So don't-"

Taking another step closer, her sock-clad feet stood toe to toe with his boots. "Jack," she whispered his name and waited for him to look at her. She'd purposely left the ranks out of their discussion knowing that this was about them, their actions and guilt – not the military, because if they couldn't fix this between them there was no hope of them ever going back to military regulations.

"Carter?" He asked, his tone filled with uncertainty as he looked up but not daring to call her by her first name – it brought back too many memories.

"I don't blame you for what happened. We were infected with an alien virus that made me look for the alpha male as my brain went primitive. Janet and I agree that it would have been impossible to ignore those primitive urges as the virus caused certain hormones to surge and repressed the rational part of our brain."

Jack narrowed his eyes in disbelief. How could she  _not_  blame him for what he'd done to her? "Look at what I did to you," he reminded her. Using the back of his fingers he brushed over her injured cheek, down her bruised neck and over a bite mark partially hidden under the neckline of her robe. "And those are only the things I can see." He knew how rough he'd been with her and he was surprised she'd been able to walk out of the infirmary if he was honest.

"I'm fine," Sam reassured him with a big smile, happy that she was getting through to him.

"Maybe now you are… but that still doesn't excuse what I did. You're engaged to someone else, you're getting married in a couple of months for crying out loud! I  _knew_  that, but still I took advantage of you!"

"I know, I was there," she retorted, rolling her eyes. "It's over. It happened and we weren't the only ones who this happened to. And unfortunately, it probably won't be the last time something like this happens either."

Jack scrubbed his face with his hand, trying to process everything. "It's not that simple."

"Maybe it is," Sam suggested.

"Not for me," he whispered, shaking his head. He'd hurt the woman he loved and yet besides guilt he also felt elation at finally making love to her, even if it wasn't the way he'd had in mind. He would never forget what had happened and Jack felt disgusted with himself for not wanting to forget… because that was all he would ever have with her. She had Shanahan and that normal life she so desperately wanted – although it didn't look exactly normal to him – but all he had were the memories. "I should go," Jack said, suddenly feeling the need to be alone. He'd done enough talking to last him another decade.

"Oh, okay." She was a bit disappointed that he would just leave like that, but she wasn't going to force him to stay. Besides, this probably wasn't the right thing to do anyway; what good would it do to tell him about breaking up with Pete now? It would probably only add to his guilt, thinking she was too traumatized or Pete didn't want her anymore or something. She was sure Jack O'Neill could come up with a reason to blame himself for that too. "Thank you for stopping by."

"Think nothing of it," Jack smirked slightly, still not feeling too good about it. He walked to the door, Carter on his heels. "Oh and I found your engagement ring in my quarters; I'll drop it off later."

Sam was about to protest when he pulled the door open and zipped up his coat. "That's okay, Sir," she said instead as he stepped outside.

"Bye Carter."


	33. Chapter 33

Sam sipped from her herbal tea as Janet unloaded two grocery bags in the kitchen. She gave the doctor, who insisted on putting the items away, directions as she curiously watched all the things Janet had brought her. "Ice cream?"

Janet smirked triumphantly. "I didn't know what the appropriate gift was for breaking up your engagement," she shrugged as she slid it over to her friend over the counter. She was happy to see Sam doing a lot better than a couple of days ago and she knew it had to do with General O'Neill's visit. The two had talked when he showed up five days ago and during her visits, Janet had noticed changes in both of them. But Sam's behavior had improved the most, almost as if a burden had fallen off her shoulders. "Ice cream is always good comfort food," she added as she continued to unpack. Not to mention that it was great celebratory food as well, she thought with a small smile.

"I know you didn't like Pete," Sam replied with a puzzled frown.

"But you did."

She shrugged and grabbed two spoons out of the drawer. "Apparently not enough."

"You can't force yourself to love someone, Sam," Janet countered as she put the last item on the counter. She wouldn't deny that she'd been pleasantly surprised when Sam had told them on Saturday, when the male members of SG-1 had dropped her friend off to play chess with Cassie. Since then, she herself had been too busy for a visit with all the off-world teams returning, her work at the Academy Hospital, the other personnel on medical leave and knowing that Sam's injuries were healing properly she had to prioritize. Still, they'd called every day and Janet had finally been convinced that Sam had broken up with Pete Shanahan for the right reasons, not just because of what had happened between her and General O'Neill.

"I know," Sam replied with a wistful smile. "It just seems strange to be upset about something that was my choice. I was the one who chose to break off the engagement, if anyone has a right to be upset it's Pete. It just feels hypocritical," she concluded softly, unwrapping the plastic from the pint of ice cream.

Understanding her conflicting feelings, Janet nodded. "You just need time to readjust, you were expecting to get married soon and have that normal life you've been wanting for years."

"I guess."

"You can still feel bad about 'mating' with your CO and being caught in the act by your friends, though," Janet remarked flippantly with a teasing twinkle in her eyes.

Sam nearly dropped the pint in shock and stared at her. "I can't believe you just said that!"

"Oh, come on Sam," she drawled with a slow smile. "We still haven't really talked about it. Talking is good for you, it makes you feel better."

"You just want details," Sam snorted, shaking her head in mirth. She was surprised she was able to joke about it, though. But she had to admit that she was feeling better about the entire incident since talking to General O'Neill – or Jack, as she'd boldly called him by his first name.

Janet smirked and pushed her hair back. "Well, if you're offering," she chuckled as Sam shook her head. "General O'Neill is still insisting he doesn't remember a thing, did you know that?"

"You saw him?"

"Yesterday," she confirmed, nodding. "I had to check his injuries."

Sam set the pint back on the counter and got both of them a glass of wine. "How is he doing?"

"Apart from his 'amnesia'," Janet made air quotes, "he's doing well."

"How are his ribs and knee? They seemed to still be bothering him when he was here Friday."

Janet grabbed the pint and gestured towards the living room with her head. "Healing nicely. If he manages to stay out of trouble the rest of the week he can start light duties on Monday."

"That's great," Sam replied, unable to muster much enthusiasm realizing they'd have to start working together again as she had was going back on Monday too. Despite their conversation the other day, she wasn't sure if they'd be able to slip back into the role of base commander and 2IC. If she were honest, she wasn't sure if  _she_  could go back. The memories were still invading her dreams at night and knowing how it was to be with him was making it even harder on her.

"Yes, I can hear you're over the moon," Janet stated dryly, glancing back over her shoulder to shoot her friend a look as she made her way to the couch. "I thought you said you two had talked?"

She nodded an affirmative, handing over one glass of wine and spoon, and sitting down on the couch with her own. "Yes, but that doesn't automatically mean everything is back to normal again. We claimed each other as mates, for crying out loud!"

"Sam, I thought you said you were dealing with what happened? I told you I could get you in touch with a good… counselor."

"I know," Sam replied, holding up her hand with the spoon in it. "It wasn't like that."

"Like what?" Janet frowned. She absentmindedly opened the pint of ice cream and dug in.

She rolled her eyes and set her glass on the table. "It wasn't rape, I don't need a counselor. This is not a normal situation they can help with."

"I wasn't suggesting it was," she replied a bit defensively. "But you weren't in your right mind and unable to give consent-"

"We were both infected," Sam countered, interrupting her.

Janet's eyebrows rose in surprise as she handed the pint over. "That's what I meant, both of you. I know how you two feel about each other and I would never imply General O'Neill raped you, but that is the technical term for it."

"I know, I'm sorry," Sam apologized, glancing down at the ice cream. "I just don't want you to think that, he'd never do something to hurt me."

"You don't have to tell me, honey," she replied, digging into the pint with her spoon. "What?" Janet asked when Sam didn't respond and sadness emanated from her.

Sam shrugged and listlessly took a bite. "He thought he had."

"Had what?" Janet questioned, frowning in confusion. "Sam?"

"… raped me," she finally confessed in a soft tone. She still didn't know what to think since he'd just left and she was pretty sure she hadn't been able to convince him otherwise.

"What?" She exclaimed, her eyes wide.

Sam nodded slowly and set the pint away. "At first I just thought he was embarrassed about it or mad at me for seducing him," she admitted and let out a deep sigh. "But in the end he told me."

Janet leaned in closer, suddenly understanding General O'Neill's behavior. "What did you say?"

"I told him it wasn't true, of course. But I don't think I persuaded him, he was convinced he'd forced himself on me and should have stopped," she explained. "I tried using his arguments, reasoning that in that case I had forced myself on him as well."

"Didn't work?" Seeing her friend shake her head, Janet squeezed her arm. "He prides himself on his self-control and this time there was nothing he could do to stay in control. He cares about you and feels responsible for what happened because he's supposed to protect you, Sam."

She grimaced and took a sip of her wine. "I know, but I can take care of myself. We're both adults and we were both there, Janet."

"But physically he's much stronger, he can easily overpower you especially with those hormone levels."

"How can I convince him that it wasn't his fault?" Sam wondered aloud, for once in her life asking someone else for the answers.

Janet shrugged helplessly. "I'm not sure. But you have to resolve this soon, otherwise you won't be able to work together."

"That's just it, I don't know if I can," she admitted.

Picking up on her tone, Janet felt concerned. "Resolve it or work together?"

Sam glanced down at her wine, swirling it around in her glass to avoid the CMO's dark eyes. "How do we go back to being friends or just working together after what happened?"

"I can't believe I'm going to say this," she muttered under her breath. "Go see MacKenzie, he told me neither of you have answered his call."

Leaning back in the couch, Sam let her head rest and stared at the ceiling. "That would go on my permanent record."

"You know that it's not the same at the SGC," Janet countered. "Besides, General Hammond and the brass ordered everyone involved has to go to counseling. MacKenzie was already complaining about his increased workload."

"They strongly recommended it," she corrected.

Janet huffed and rolled her eyes. "You know as well as I do that means it's mandatory. Besides," she glanced at her, "it might even do some good this time. You're in a very difficult situation and General O'Neill is as well. Both of you are stubborn and have too much pride at times, maybe it will help to get some professional counseling."

"I know," Sam admitted, gnawing her lip pensively. She just didn't want to confide in someone about what had happened, because telling them would make it so much more real. And she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to keep her feelings under wraps if the shrink started digging. It was also why she hadn't talked to Janet, Daniel or Teal'c about it. The only reason she'd spoken to General O'Neill was because he'd come to her and there were issues between them. "Janet?"

"Yes?"

"Did you tell him about Pete?" She questioned, turning towards her petite friend.

Janet frowned and sat up. "Who, the General? No, did you?"

"Not yet," she shook her head. "I was waiting for the right moment-"

"But it never came?" She quipped dryly.

Sam rolled her eyes at her. "No, I just didn't know how to tell him. It didn't feel right during our conversation. He feels guilty about what happened and although I understand why, it's not necessary. But I know that if I told him about Pete, he would think it's because of what happened."

"And it's not?" Janet inquired.

"No," she denied, narrowing her eyes. "I told you; I don't love him and this just made me realize that." Sam knew the doctor was about to comment, so she quickly continued. "Pete is supposed to be on my mind first thing in such a situation, instead he felt like a burden, an obligation."

Janet wisely kept her mouth shut about who always seemed to be first on Sam's mind and simply nodded her understanding. "I'm just glad you found out before you got married." She glanced at the clock and realized it was already getting late and she had an early start tomorrow. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. Feel free to indulge on some more ice cream without me."

"No thanks," Sam smiled and grabbed the barely-touched pint. "Take it home for Cassie?" She handed it over and made her way to the kitchen, where Janet's purse was. "What's that?"

Following her line of sight, Janet noticed the last item from her grocery bag. "Oh, right," she mumbled, grabbing it. "I didn't mean to spring this on you like this, but I told you that you needed to take a test after about three weeks and I figured it would be better to give it to you now than when Daniel or Teal'c would be here."

"Oh."

"Here," Janet handed her the pregnancy test and gave her a sympathetic smile. "No need to worry just yet, Sam; it's just a precaution since you  _are_  on birth control. We just can't tell for certain how much influence the virus and its hormones had. The emergency contraception I gave you works up to one hundred and twenty hours after sexual intercourse so according to the timeline, you should be safe."

Sam apprehensively took the box. "I know, it just…"

"Makes it real?" Janet finished for her.

She smiled shyly and nodded, looking at the counter rather than her friend. "Thanks Janet."

"No problem, honey."

"Give my love to Cassie."

Janet grabbed her purse and smiled. "I will. I'll see you the day after tomorrow for my last official visit," she grinned and walked towards the door.

Sam followed, opened the door for her and waved her off. Once alone, she glanced at the box in her hands and sighed before making her way to her bedroom. She'd clean up tomorrow.

* * *

Jack's face morphed into a scowl when someone banged on his door and he tore his gaze towards it. With a sigh he put his beer bottle back on the table and went over to the corridor to open the door. He really wasn't in the mood for company but since most of his friends knew he didn't lock his door, he figured he might as well open it and maybe get them to leave before they came inside. He was surprised when it turned out to be Teal'c on his doorstep. "T, what are you doing here?"

"O'Neill," Teal'c dipped his head in greeting.

Jack automatically moved aside when the Jaffa stepped forward and opened the door further. So much for his quiet evening. "Come on in," he grumbled. "Want a beer?"

"I do not consume alcoholic beverages."

He rolled his eyes and strode over to the fridge. "I have a diet soda," Jack remarked, spotting the lonely can he used to buy for Carter. "Here," he threw it in Teal'c's direction before the man could reply, only too happy to get rid of yet another reminder of Carter in his house.

Teal'c easily caught the can and sat down on the couch in the living room. A quick scan of his surroundings informed him O'Neill had been what Daniel Jackson called brooding. The television set had not been on when he had arrived nor was there much illumination in the house. However, one small item on the table glistened in the dim lighting. His eyebrow rose as the Tau'ri joined him, but he remained quiet.

"So, what's up?" Jack inquired as he plopped back in his seat and grabbed his beer. "I thought you and Daniel were coming over in the morning. How did you get here anyway?"

"I had a vehicle loaned to me from the motor pool."

"Ah," he nodded. After taking a sip from his beer, Jack looked at him. "Why?"

"I wished to meet with you."

He frowned, quickly inspecting his bottle, the table and the floor. Obviously this was his first beer so he wasn't drunk or imagining things but it was nearly midnight. "What's with the cloak and dagger routine? Couldn't it wait until morning?"

"It could not," Teal'c replied curtly.

"So, what's up?" Jack repeated, albeit a bit more impatient than the first time. He really wasn't in the mood for company and he didn't understand why Teal'c couldn't wait a few hours until he and Daniel would drop by with donuts and coffee.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow but complied. Reaching into his coat he took the flash drive and placed it on the table, next to the other item. "I believed it prudent to hand you this without Daniel Jackson's presence."

Surprised, he looked at it before reaching for the laptop under the table. He had been forced to get one with his promotion, as if doing mountains of paperwork all day wasn't enough they wanted him to be able to read emails and stuff at home too. At least Carter had put some cool games on it. Jack booted up the laptop and hooked up the flash drive. Apparently cool games wasn't all Carter had installed as the file was decrypted immediately after he punched in his password. "What's this?" Jack asked as he looked at the surveillance video from the SGC.

Stretching out his arm, Teal'c pressed several keys until the right image showed on the screen.

"Oy," Jack mumbled, as he watched himself and Carter in the gym. It looked like an innocent sparring match but knowing what he knew he could tell there was nothing innocent about what they were doing once they were lying on the matt. Anyone with bad intentions could easily rip it out of context and make it seem like something more was going on – even if that was really the truth.

"Indeed," Teal'c concurred as he repeated the movement, opening a different file.

At first he wasn't sure what he was looking at, but then Jack saw Carter sneak around the corridor until she stopped at a very familiar door… "Ah, so I guess this is my room?"

"Indeed."

Jack swallowed and nodded slowly as Carter snuck into his room on screen. Having seen enough he glanced at the contents of the flash drive and was surprised at the number of files he saw. Some he recognized by name others he didn't, but he did realize what he was looking at. "T?"

"An unfortunate accident has befallen one of the servers," Teal'c stated. "All of the video surveillance was lost, except for this copy."

"An accident, huh," he mumbled.

He raised a brow. "Indeed, O'Neill. Master Sergeant Siler was unable to remember how it occurred as he cannot recall all the events that happened upon his infection."

"I see," Jack replied. "Well, that's a shame. But I'm sure no one will lose any sleep over it. After all, we all know what happened during that time. More or less."

"Indeed. I shall not disturb your musings any longer and will take my leave now," Teal'c informed him as he rose to his feet.

Jack followed him to the door. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, T. Obviously we need a new backup system, I'll put someone on it when I start light duty."

"Sleep well, O'Neill."

"You too, just not behind the wheel," he replied, watching the Jaffa walk back to his car. Once he started the engine and left, Jack closed the door and walked back inside. He glanced at the laptop, grabbed the flash drive and stashed it with the rest of his secret documents. He had to go over all the material before deciding whether to get rid of the evidence of him and Carter together, but that would have to wait. Slowly, he walked back to the couch and plopped down. Leaning forward, he grabbed his beer bottle with one hand and the other item in his other.

Jack let out a deep sigh as he raised his hand in front of his face. Resting the bottle on his thigh, he went back to staring at the gaudy ring as the light reflected off it. Tomorrow, he told himself for the fifth day in a row. Tomorrow he'd drop it off at Carter's.


	34. Chapter 34

Jack was warming his hands around his cup of coffee, while Daniel and Teal'c were going over the menu trying to decide what to order for their late lunch. They had just come back from the memorial for the two SFs who had died during the quarantine and although he wasn't very hungry nor feeling up for company his two friends had insisted. At least Carter wasn't with them, because he still hadn't spoken to her since last week. She had a checkup at the infirmary this morning since Doc Fraiser was too busy to make house calls and with Fraiser's approval General Hammond had ordered Carter to hold down the fort for two hours while they went to the memorial service.

"Jack?"

He looked up from his musings at Daniel's tone. "What?"

"What do you want to order?" Daniel asked, gesturing towards the flirty waitress next to their table. He and Teal'c had already ordered but Jack seemed deep in thought, despite the waitress' efforts to get his attention. Or any of their attention, probably, since she'd started flirting the moment she reached their table. She probably thought they were a good catch, him in his black suit, Teal'c with his dark gray suit and matching fedora and Jack in his dress blues. Too bad for her none of them were in the mood. Everything that had happened during the quarantine was still being processed by most of the SGC personnel, for some because of their own behavior and others because they had been assaulted or had witnessed an attack by their friends. The memorial service had once again reminded everyone of the dangerous situation they had been in and how two good men had lost their lives as they tried to escape the mountain.

"Oh," Jack mumbled glancing at the woman, before absentmindedly ordering today's special. He had no idea what it was but he assumed it was edible and he wasn't really hungry anyway. After the woman scribbled down his order she left and a silence fell around them. Stretching his legs under the table, he tugged on his uncomfortable collar and looked out the window of the diner. It had snowed again last night and the parking lot was still mostly covered with it, but most of the roads and sidewalks were covered in sludge. Some of it was on his shoes and pants as well, but he didn't really care; he abhorred wearing his dress blues and would just wear BDUs and boots on base.

Teal'c regarded his Tau'ri friends for a moment. Both appeared pensive and he was certain O'Neill's thoughts were focused on their female teammate, yet he was unsure about Daniel Jackson. The archeologist was on light duty since earlier this week after he had assured Doctor Fraiser to 'take it easy'. Teal'c knew the doctor had only agreed because she could check on him more easily if he was at Stargate Command instead of in his apartment researching. "How is your recruitment faring, Daniel Jackson?"

Startled from his thoughts, Daniel looked up. "What? Oh yes, um… I don't know yet, it's really difficult to find a good research assistant. It's not like there are a lot of people applying for the position because it's not an area the public associates with the military."

"Who knows, maybe you can pick up a new one off-world again on one of your missions," Jack commented.

"Indeed," Teal'c replied. "Nyan was most qualified."

Daniel nodded before taking a sip of his coffee. "He's too qualified for the position now."

"Well, he  _has_  been working for you for five years now, Space Monkey. He deserves the promotion after saving our asses."

"What of Doctor Fraiser?" Teal'c inquired with a raised brow. Unlike his two friends, he had not been affected by the alien virus over two weeks ago and had witnessed all the doctor's hard work. Without complaints she had worked effortlessly for days with minimal sleep and yet she had only taken a few days of downtime before returning to the infirmary.

Jack smirked as he fiddled with his hat. "She's getting a commendation," he informed them. He also knew she was up for promotion sometime this year, but he couldn't share that with them yet. "How's the nose by the way?" he asked, turning to Daniel.

"Fine," Daniel grumbled, rolling his eyes. "I'm already back to light duty and Janet said I can probably work full hours next week or so. It'll be completely healed in about six weeks."

"You were most fortunate Doctor Fraiser did not harm you further."

Agreeing, Jack bobbed his head. "Yeah, at least she knows how to hit you with minimal damage."

"What about you? I heard you were coming back on Monday, like Sam." Daniel looked at him with a smile as he cradled his coffee cup. He had missed his friends. Well, Sam mostly since they would usually check on the other's research and Jack was in his office most of the time these days. Especially since Sam's engagement to Pete, but luckily that was off now so maybe everything could go back to normal.

"Despite someone's efforts," Jack glared at Teal'c as he rubbed his ribs in an exaggerated manner, "I'm doing fine."

Teal'c dipped his head in response, ignoring the exaggeration. "I am pleased to hear it, O'Neill."

"Sam seemed fine too," Daniel mentioned, as he pensively rubbed his chin. "Although she was a bit preoccupied with… well, something obviously. But she didn't want to talk about it."

"Oh?" Jack tried to keep his tone casual, but he was hoping Daniel and Teal'c could tell him more about Carter. She'd left him a message on his answering machine yesterday, something about wanting to talk but he hadn't called back yet. He wasn't sure what to say to her or what they could talk about after what they'd discussed last week. Even though the surveillance feed Teal'c had given him proved that Carter had indeed come to him, he still felt responsible for hurting her. Or maybe it was his guilt, because he knew how much he'd enjoyed it and in a sick way he cherished those memories because he knew that he'd never get the chance to sleep with her again. She probably didn't even see him that way anymore – if she ever had – unless she was infected with an alien virus apparently. No, she had the cop now and was getting married to him in a couple of months.

"Indeed," Teal'c intoned, glancing at O'Neill. "Colonel Carter appeared troublesome, perhaps because of what has transpired during the quarantine."

"You didn't notice, Jack?" Daniel asked in a disbelieving tone. No matter how dumb Jack O'Neill pretended to be, Daniel knew he was very perceptive when it came to these things, especially when it concerned Sam.

He shrugged indifferently. "I haven't seen much of her."

"What, why not?"

"Because Napoleon ordered both of us on medical leave," Jack replied, frowning at his lame excuse. He knew he had been putting it off, hoping that everything would just be normal again when they got back to work. But he also realized that they did need to talk before Monday, since they would be working closely together again and he wasn't sure if could handle that. He still dreamed about her and what had happened and, more importantly, yearned for her touch. Even just being around her would help. And what also worried him was that he still hadn't been able to drop off her ring, almost as if doing so would be admitting defeat and letting go off… someday. "Oh look, there's our food," he exclaimed as the waitress walked in their direction, hoping it would make Daniel shut up long enough until he could excuse himself and leave.

* * *

George Hammond observed Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter from his spot in the armchair of her living room. She was just coming back from the kitchen with a beer for him and a cup of tea for herself. He gratefully accepted the beer and took a sip before he placed it on the coffee table and stretched out his legs. It had been a long day for him. Hell, it had been a long couple of weeks! Working in Washington DC as director of Homeworld Security was safer for him, less demanding work hours and it gave him more time with his granddaughters. But it was also more stressful to be in a different state when something went wrong at the SGC.

This time he hadn't been able to help while they were in quarantine, all he could do was keep in touch with Doctor Fraiser and Colonel Reynolds and advise them, while keeping the President and the JCS abreast of the situation. By the time the situation had been resolved, Jack and Colonel Carter were both on medical leave so he had to step in and act as base commander. Finally, after two weeks they were going to start light duty and he could go back to Washington. The President and the JCS had been nagging for his return for days already and he could only imagine what awaited him back at HWS after his absence.

But today had been the hardest day of all. He had been preparing the memorial service of the two airmen for days and after a quiet morning, he had given temporary command of the SGC to Colonel Carter as he, Jack O'Neill and most of the off duty SGC personnel had gone to the service. As soon as the service was over, he had to go back to the SGC and resume command, since Colonel Carter and Jack O'Neill hadn't been cleared for duty just yet. Not to mention all the paperwork he had to fill out and strings he had to pull for Colonel Carter's request. Afterwards he had grabbed a bite to eat in the commissary, which reminded him of the better food at the Pentagon, and once Colonel Reynolds had shown up for the nightshift he had left the mountain. Now he was here to drop off the paperwork and ensure this was really what Sam Carter wanted.

"Sir?" Sam inquired gently as General Hammond appeared to be deep in thought.

"Sorry Colonel," he smiled at her and rubbed a hand over his bald head. "I was just thinking."

She nodded her understanding as she cradled her cup of tea. General Hammond didn't usually make house calls and it made her a bit nervous, even though she knew that was ridiculous. After all, she knew why he was here and he wasn't just a superior officer – her CO's CO – but she also considered him a friend. Plus, he was an old friend of her father. "It's been a long day," she said. After not doing much for two weeks, even today felt like a long day to her.

Because of her workload Janet had rescheduled her checkup visit and they had agreed Sam would drop by the infirmary at eleven hundred hours. The good doctor had cleared her for light duty starting Monday, but had agreed she could stay for two hours while the other personnel went to the memorial service. Once General Hammond had returned to base they had discussed the service and he had promised he'd start on the paperwork as soon as he could. Still, she had been surprised when he called her a few hours later asking if he could come over on his way to Peterson before taking a hop to DC.

"That is has," George agreed. "I was just thinking about the past few weeks, actually. But I'm sure I don't have to tell you that."

She blushed and shook her head. "No, Sir."

"So Colonel," he paused and waited for her to look at him. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes," Sam nodded, holding his gaze. She could tell from his facial expression that he was a bit concerned. "It's the best option, Sir."

George sighed and reached for his beer again. "You've done an excellent job commanding SG-1 so far, Sam."

Her eyes widened in surprise by his change in tone and the use of her first name. "Thank you, Sir, but I'm afraid I can't agree on that."

"Why is that? What happened wasn't your fault, SG-1 wasn't even involved in the mission that brought the virus back to Earth." He tried to remind her of that fact although he had already done so earlier in the day and had failed. George suspected it had more to do with what had happened between the young woman in front of him and Jack O'Neill while they had been infected. As the CMO, Doctor Fraiser was obligated to report her findings and even though he had been taken aback by the compromising situation the two officers had been found in, he hadn't really been surprised. For a long time he had suspected there was more between them than just friendship, but he had been assured they would never act upon any inappropriate feelings because of their honor, duty and love and respect for the Air Force and each other. However, this virus had apparently rid them of their inhibitions and reinforced their feelings.

"I know, Sir," Sam replied hesitantly. She leaned forward to place her cup back on the table and sat back on the couch, slightly turned towards him. "Unlike with the Touched virus, I remember… some of what has happened," she tried to explain, gnawing her lip as she left out the complete truth. "I don't think I can cope with the fallout, Sir."

Resting his elbows on his knees, he let the beer bottle dangle in his hands. "Sam, I've known you for a long time and I've known your father even longer. You're a damn fine officer and capable of many things, including command. There's a bright future ahead of you at the SGC… I don't know the details of what happened," George sat up and held up a hand, "and I don't want to know. But I got the gist from Doctor Fraiser's report and I can assure you this has no bearing on your career. You were under the influence of an alien virus and aside from that, there will be no mention of the particulars in your personnel or medical file."

"It might not go on the record, Sir," she countered, wringing her hands in her lap. "But I'm sure it has reached the grapevine by now and-"

"Don't tell me you're giving up because of rumors, Colonel," he berated her in a stern voice. "I'd never pegged you as a quitter."

Sam's head snapped up, her eyes flashing. "No Sir!" She shook her head and stood. "What happened between General O'Neill and myself… I'm not sure if I can deal with it, Sir."

"What are you saying?" George inquired as he watched her pace in front of the closed patio doors.

She threw up her hands and looked at him. "I don't know," she shrugged. "It has changed our relationship. We used to be good friends, not just coworkers – junior officer and commanding officer. How do I go back to that? We hardly speak and General O'Neill can't even look me in the eye…"

George let out a deep sigh as he leaned back in the chair. He hadn't realized the problem was this big. Perhaps the pair had  _too_  much honor, he thought dismally. "Are you afraid Jack will treat you differently?"

"He already does," Sam admitted in a soft tone.

"I doubt he thinks any less of you because of what happened, Sam. He respects you too much."

Rolling her eyes, she went back to the couch and sat down. "It's not that… he blames himself for what has happened. I can't seem to convince him otherwise, Sir."

"I see," George mumbled, rubbing his chin. "Have you talked to him about this?"

She shrugged. "Like I said, we hardly speak. I called him, but he hasn't returned my call yet."

"Well, if you're sure about this…" he let his voice trail off and leaned down to grab his briefcase.

Sam watched him as he retrieved the paperwork. She ran a hand through her hair, frustrated and feeling slightly embarrassed about opening up to him about her insecurities. "It's the only way," she reassured him. "Maybe we can at least salvage our friendship like this."

He handed her the folder with a skeptical frown, but since her eyes were on the package she missed it. George decided not to voice his thoughts and simply waited while she browsed through the paperwork. Taking a sip of beer every now and then, he eventually stood as he ran out of time. "It's all there, Colonel, just like we discussed. It will take a couple of weeks if not months before our agreement can be finalized, as you can see," he pointed at the papers. "Unfortunately I have to go now, but you know where to find me."

"Yes Sir," she nodded and closed the folder. Sam stood and led him through the corridor. "Thank you, Sir."

"Not a problem, Colonel," he returned her smile in kind before donning his coat.

Sam watched as he stepped outside and went to his car. "Have a safe trip, Sir." She waited until he was in the car and driving down the street before she closed the door and went back inside.

* * *

Jack took a deep breath before he opened the car door and jumped out of his truck. He looked up at Carter's house, sighed and locked the door. For a moment he had contemplated turning the car around and to just go home, but he figured she'd already seen his Ford parking at the curb in front of her house. There was another car parked there, but he assumed it belonged to the neighbors. Carter's Volvo was nowhere in sight, but since the lights were on in her house her car was probably in the garage. He was surprised when he found himself walking up the steps to her front door. Apparently his legs had already brought him here involuntarily. Giving in, he rang the doorbell and waited. God, he hoped she was alone and that the car in front didn't belong to the cop…

His eyebrows shot up as the door flung open and Carter stood in front of him.

"Sir!"

"Carter," he greeted with a small smile. "Can I come in?"

"Of course," she nodded and stepped aside. Shoving her hands in the pockets of her jeans, she waited for him to take off his coat, scarf and boots.

Jack looked at her as he hung his coat on a peg. "You don't mind, do you?" he gestured at his stuff, realizing he was already making himself at home while she'd just invited him in. What if she did have company? "I don't want to get snow all over your house."

"No, no, it's okay," Sam replied with an awkward smile. After jerking her head in the direction of the kitchen, she walked down the corridor assuming he would follow her.

Padding after her in his socks, Jack wondered why he hadn't called first. It was already late, probably too late for a CO to visit his 2IC at her house – especially considering what had happened between them – but at least this time Carter wasn't just wearing a robe. Instead, she was wearing dark blue jeans which fitted perfectly around her six and her long legs, and a pink sweater. Not her usual attire, at least not something he was used to seeing her in. When they reached the kitchen he spotted an empty beer bottle and a mug on the counter. "I should have called first." For all he knew she had plans on a late Friday night, plans he didn't want to think about.

"Don't worry about it," she waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "Want something to drink? A beer?"

"Ah, okay," he replied hesitantly, peeking around the pillar and seeing the living room was empty. Well, her usual furniture was there but no one else. Jack relaxed slightly and walked over to the fireplace. Even though he'd driven his car here straight from his house – after hours of contemplating his next move since he'd gotten back from their late lunch – his hands were cold and the fire was welcoming. "I hadn't realized how late it was," he mumbled when he heard Carter sit down on the couch behind him.

Sam smiled, even though he couldn't see it, and took a sip from the hot chocolate she'd been making when he rang the doorbell. "Well, you've been sitting in your car for at least fifteen minutes before you rang."

"D'oh," he mumbled. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he wondered why he'd parked right in front of her house – of course she would have seen him! Jack turned around and walked over to the armchair next to the couch.

"I was starting to wonder if maybe the doors were frozen shut and if you needed help," she joked, despite feeling uncomfortable at his unexpected presence in her house.

He shot her a look, not deigning an answer. He stalled for a moment, grabbed the beer from the table and took a drink. "I wasn't sure if I… should come," he mumbled, shifting in his seat. "This was a bad… I should go."

"Finish your beer," Sam replied, her voice sounding more confident than she felt. "Then you have to wait at least an hour before you drive."

Recognizing his own words, Jack smirked and conceded. "Okay… So, I'm here."

She frowned in confusion, not understanding what he meant. "What?"

"What do you want to talk about? You called and left a message?" He reminded her, grimacing at the thought of talking about his feelings – again.

"Right," she muttered softly. "I'm cleared for light duty, starting Monday."

"Yeah, me too," Jack said slowly, wondering why she was telling him that. As base commander he already knew, even if he was on medical leave for the moment.

Frustrated, Sam jumped up and went to the fireplace. "You don't think we should talk? Just go back to work like nothing happened?"

"Oy," he muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair. "Okay, talk."

"God," she turned around to face him. "Look, if you don't  _want_  to talk you don't have to."

Jack shrugged and stood up. "Come on, Carter, you know I don't really do this talking-thing."

"Then why come?" She questioned with narrowed eyes. Of course she knew that, she knew him better than she knew anyone else! Grabbing her empty mug, she stormed over to the kitchen counter. "There's the door, you know."

"I know," he replied defensively. "Your message, it sounded important. And maybe… maybe you're right," Jack admitted. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he rocked on his feet. "Can I have some of that?"

Sam followed his line of sight and nodded. "Hot chocolate? Okay, I guess," she didn't really see the appeal of beer and hot chocolate, but this was Jack O'Neill after all.

Jack shot her a smile and walked back to the living room. At least he'd calmed her down a bit. Not to mention he'd managed to stall so he could come up with a way to breach the subject. How was he going to explain how he felt about what had happened? How he couldn't look at her without remembering her smooth skin and her silky hair? He looked at the pictures on the mantle and the shelves to force himself to stop thinking of her like that, while she made him some hot chocolate. He'd never paid much attention to her furniture nor had he noticed all the pictures of her family and friends she kept around.

When he ended back at his chair, he noticed an opened folder on the coffee table. Jack felt sick to his stomach when he recognized the paperwork and stumbled backwards. He took a step to the side and grabbed the back of the barstool to steady himself. When Carter glanced over her shoulder from the stove, he turned around. "Can I use the bathroom?"

"Of course," Sam replied with a small frown. He looked odd and she briefly wondered if the prospect of talking to her about what happened caused him to feel like that. She was still stirring the hot chocolate on the stove when he staggered back into the kitchen, possibly looking even paler. "Is something wrong? You look a bit spooked."

"I, ah," Jack nervously cleared his throat. "Um, is there something you want to tell me?" he asked, leaning on the counter for support.

Puzzled, she poured the hot chocolate in a mug and set it on the counter, placing the pot back on the stove. "Um, yes. That's why I called, to talk about things before we go back to work. I don't want to have this conversation on base."

"Carter," he snapped, taking a few steps back to get the folder. "What the hell is this?"

"Oh!" She gasped. Silently berating herself, she realized that was probably why he looked so pale. "I wanted to tell you… that's why I called."

Slamming the folder on the counter, he glared at her. "These papers are already finalized, when were you planning on telling me?"

"Yesterday," Sam whispered. "I talked to General Hammond about it and he approved. I hadn't expected him to get the paperwork done this fast, he just dropped it off a few hours ago."

Jack was getting angrier by the minute and quickly turned around to stalk over to the fireplace. He just wanted to grab her shoulders and shake her until she told him what he wanted to hear! "Why did you go behind my back… over my head with this?"

She cautiously walked over to him, knowing by his quiet tone and controlled voice that he was fuming on the inside. "You didn't return my call," she hesitantly tried to explain. When he turned around and glared at her, Sam held up her hands. "Hell, you can hardly look at me, let alone have a conversation."

"This is because of what happened?" He stated more than asked. "I'm still your commanding officer and you should go through the right channels." Seeing her disbelieving facial expression, Jack knew he wasn't making much sense – after all, he'd been on medical leave and he  _had_ ignored her call, so going to General Hammond who was also his replacement made sense. "Was it Shannon's idea for you to transfer?"

"What, no!" Sam exclaimed, throwing up her hands and not even bothering to correct him. With a frustrated sigh she rubbed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. "Pete and I broke up and-"

"What! When?"

Her brows knitted together in confusion as she slowly shook her head. "What does it matter?"

"It matters," Jack growled.

Sam shrugged, quickly running a hand through her hair as she tried to organize her thoughts. "I don't know, last week."

"When last week?" Seeing her confusion, he took a step closer. "Before or after we talked?"

"Eight days ago, the day before," she admitted.

Jack took a deep breath. Mustering up the courage for his next question, he scrubbed his face with his hand before locking his gaze on hers. "Because you're pregnant?"

"What?" Sam gasped, her mind going light-years a minute as she wondered what he was talking about. "The bathroom," she mumbled to herself, realizing he must have seen the box Janet had given her when he went to the bathroom. She hadn't even thought about putting it away and had just left it on the sink.

"Yeah," he replied dryly, suppressing the urge to shake her by the shoulders until she answered him. As if seeing those transfer papers weren't enough of a shock, he'd gone to the bathroom to calm himself down only to come across that pregnancy test! "Well, are you?"


	35. Chapter 35

"No!" she nearly shouted. His face remained a blank mask – no reaction to her answer at all – and Sam hated that she couldn't tell what he was thinking. She rubbed her forehead as she tried to calm herself. "Well, actually, I don't know. I haven't taken it yet."

"Why the hell not?" Jack exclaimed, his mask falling as his emotions got the best of him. "Is it mine?" He asked the only question that had been going through his mind since seeing that box and learning about her breakup from Shanahan only fueled that need – even though he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. His heart was pounding as she seemed to take forever before giving him an answer.

Sam nervously smoothed her hands down her legs, gnawing her lip under his intense scrutiny. She shrugged slightly, wondering what she was going to do if she  _was_ pregnant with his baby. He looked so angry with her! "I-"

"God, you don't even know!"

"No! I mean, wait… Jack, just let me explain," she urged him in a pleading tone. Why did he keep jumping to conclusions? He hardly gave her any time to explain! "I'm on birth control. After we, um… were cured, Janet explained what had happened."

He nodded, remembering something similar from when he woke up. "Yeah, go on."

"She gave me emergency contraception." When he kept staring at her, she squeezed his arm reassuringly and continued. "The morning after pill, okay? It was just a precaution because of my elevated hormone levels and the effects of the virus. She just wanted to cover all our bases."

"And…?"

Sam shrugged indifferently. "She gave me the test two days ago, just another precaution."

"Why haven't you taken it yet?" Jack asked, feeling a lot calmer with her explanation.

"I have to wait a few more days, otherwise it'll be negative no matter what."

"Oh, I see." He turned around and paced the living room, unsure if he wanted to continue this line of questioning. To think he'd been worried about coming over to talk about his feelings, now his entire world was turned upside down! Carter could be pregnant and she was leaving the SGC! "Have you had your… um," he coughed awkwardly. "Are you late?"

She shook her head and turned back to the fireplace. "Janet said the drug delays or inhibits ovulation which can result in delayed menstruation."

"Ah," Jack mumbled, looking at her lonely figure. He strode over to join her and stuffed his hands in his pockets, giving her a sideway glance. "So it could be mine."

" _If_ , against all odds, I got pregnant, yes," Sam reluctantly admitted. Looking at him, she frowned as his only reaction was a simple nod. She didn't know what she'd expected from him, but it wasn't this. Gnawing her lip, she leaned down and added a log to the fire. "Pete and I used a condom," she added in a soft tone, embarrassed about having to reveal such intimate details about her personal life to him.

Shocked at her revelation, Jack stared at her but she was looking into the fire so he couldn't see her face. That meant if she  _had_  gotten pregnant it would be his child… God, he couldn't remember the times he'd dreamed about someday being with Carter and maybe starting a family, but not like this! He wasn't completely old-fashioned, but he knew this wouldn't be a good start for a relationship. Hell, who was he kidding? Carter hadn't mentioned anything about a relationship and she didn't exactly seem thrilled at the prospect of being pregnant. Remembering her earlier comment about her breakup, he frowned. "Is that why Shannon broke off the engagement?"

"No."

"No?" he echoed. "I find that hard to belief."

Sam glared up at him and straightened, walking over to the patio doors to look out into the garden despite the darkness. "I didn't tell him."

Jack raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You didn't tell him about what happened, that you could be pregnant because of it or that the kid couldn't be his?"

"Yes." She grimaced and nodded slowly, one simple answer for all three options. "Besides, Janet said there was a  _very_  small chance I'd actually conceived."

Confused by her answer, he stepped up behind her so he could see her face via her reflection. "Wait, you didn't tell him anything? Why not?" His brows knitted together as he kept his eyes locked on hers. Relief welled up in him knowing the odds, but there was also a tiny jab of regret… he loved kids, but he'd already lost one and he couldn't go through that again. Not to mention that he didn't want to be responsible for screwing up Carter's career, hell her whole life. But the thought of having a baby with Carter was still somewhere in the back of his mind, locked away because it could never happen.

"What happened is classified."

Jack felt his anger ebb at the resigned tone of her voice and let out a deep sigh. His hands were already coming up before he realized what he was doing. Instead of wrapping his arms around her instinctively, he settled with a soft squeeze of her shoulders before letting his hands hang by his side. He knew she was a by-the-book officer and a stickler for rules most of the time, but he hadn't expected her to keep something like this from Shanahan. Especially not after the cop managed to get minimum security clearance after the stunt he pulled with their Osiris op last year. "Then why?"

" _I_  broke off the engagement." Sam shrugged and turned around. Startled by how close he was, she brushed past him to give herself more space. Walking over to the kitchen, she grabbed a glass and filled it with water.

"Why?"

After taking a gulp of water to settle her nerves, she leaned on the counter. "What does it matter?"

"It matters," Jack countered. "Just tell me, Carter." Seeing her shake her head, he sighed and entered the kitchen, leaning on the other side of the counter. "I don't want you to suffer because I couldn't control myself."

"No it's not," she replied. "We both were infected thus equally responsible and  _I_  came to you. Besides," Sam shrugged and set her glass next to his forgotten mug of hot chocolate. "It doesn't matter, it's not because of what happened."

"C'mon, you were going to get married to him, don't throw that away because of what happened," he urged her with a thick voice. God, he loved her and he wanted her to be happy, even if that meant she'd get married to the cop. As if crossing the line with her wasn't enough, now she was giving up on her desire for a life because of his lack of self-control. Even if what Doc Fraiser had said was true and Carter wasn't pregnant, he'd still screwed up her life! "You'll finally get that normal life you always wanted, have a family…"

Throwing up her hands in frustration, Sam walked past him. "Who says I want that?  _You_  were the one who was always telling me to get a life!"

"And you were happy with the cop," Jack argued as he followed her. "He made you hum for crying out loud!"

Sam swiveled on her feet and glared at him. "Is that what this is about?" She couldn't believe  _he_  was pushing her to get back together with Pete. He had been the last thing on her mind these past few days, instead she couldn't stop thinking about what it was like to be with Jack. If anything, _he_ 'd made her purr and her blood zing! Maybe she was wrong and he didn't feel that way about her anymore. Against her better judgment she'd hoped his reaction to what had happened between them meant he still cared about her, that maybe he returned her inappropriate feelings. Apparently not, so maybe it was a good thing she'd asked for the transfer.

"Carter, you had a good thing going with him, why throw it away just because of a little bit of alien influence?"

She let out a humorless chuckle and shook her head in disbelief. It hurt to hear him talk like that about what had happened, because it had meant so much to her. "Not that it's any of your business," she replied defensively, "but I've thought about this long and hard… I shouldn't have accepted Pete's proposal in the first place. There was something missing in our relationship and I didn't love him the way I should," Sam elaborated. She refrained from telling him about the house or that her feelings for Pete were overshadowed by her inappropriate feelings for him. Frustrated with their conversation, she glared at him. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"True," Jack conceded with a shrug, realizing he wasn't going to get anything else from her about this subject. If he was honest, he wasn't sure he wanted to. Secretly he was happy that she'd broken it off with the cop, but he feared she was doing it for the wrong reasons. It wasn't like Carter to give up without a fight or run away when things got tough. Yet, that's exactly what it looked like right now; as if she'd dumped Shanahan so she didn't have to tell him about what had happened or wait until she'd done the pregnancy test. Then again, she was a big girl who could take care of herself. If she didn't want to be with Shanahan anymore, who was he to argue with her? He chose to ignore the way his heart had skipped a beat when she confessed to not loving the cop and decided to forge ahead with the other major change in their lives. "What about your transfer?"

"What about it?" She countered, looking at him with a puzzled frown confused by the sudden change of subject.

"Another precaution?" he questioned, a hint of anger coloring his tone. "A preemptive strike in case you  _are_  pregnant? With my kid."

Sam shook her head in denial. "No. I just… I don't know how to deal with this," she waved her hand around, trying to encompass their situation. Her anger deflated and she just felt weary. Everything was taking its toll on her and she didn't want to argue with him! No, she had wanted to talk about this and try to explain her decision without giving away too much of her emotional turmoil.

The sadness in her voice tugged on his heart and Jack swallowed hard, trying to keep his emotions in check before he did something stupid. But the idea of her fleeing the state was affecting him more than he wanted to admit, especially if by some fluke she  _was_  pregnant and took his kid away! "Carter–"

"We can't even talk to each other," she continued, glancing at the floor. "I don't know how to go back to working together, being friends after everything that's happened."

"Oy," Jack murmured, scrubbing a hand over his face before plopping down on the couch. "I never meant to hurt you, Carter and-"

Looking up, she walked over and sat down next to him. "You didn't hurt me."

"Could have fooled me," he mumbled full of self-loathing and gestured at her fading bruises.

"I know you would never purposely hurt me," she elaborated, awkwardly squeezing his good knee in an attempt to reassure him.

Pleasantly surprised at her gesture, Jack patted her hand before he leaned back in the couch. Maybe she was right and they could salvage their friendship? "I understand though," he admitted, speaking from his own experience; after all, he had a hard time forgetting about what had happened too and couldn't stop thinking about her. "But I don't want your career to suffer from this. I'll contact Hammond, I'll retire."

"No!"

"Carter, you're doing a great job commanding SG-1 and there's no doubt in my mind you'll be commanding the SGC in a few years. I don't even  _like_  my job, I hate flying a desk and pushing paper around. I retired before, I can do it again."

She threw him a skeptical look and leaned back too, resting her head in her neck. "You'll be bored out of your mind in a month. Besides, General Hammond and the President will never agree to it, you're needed at the SGC."

"So are you," he countered. He was starting to feel at ease with her again as they fell back in their old routine, with one exception; she hadn't called him 'Sir' since he'd entered the house and it hadn't gone unnoticed by him. She'd actually called him by his name once. Not to mention that her behavior towards him wasn't anything like a junior officer towards their superior. Like they weren't bound by rules and regulations, simply equals arguing over something personal. Despite it changing the status quo, he liked it, a lot – or maybe too much.

"I can help from Area 51, make you some big honking space guns," Sam joked.

Enjoying their camaraderie, Jack shot her a lopsided grin before throwing his arm over his eyes. "God, I don't know, Carter." His nerves had settled but he was still feeling apprehensive about everything. He understood what she was trying to do and agreed with it at some level, but he also knew his feelings for her complicated matters. For him at least.

"Something has to change," she insisted, shifting in her seat to tuck her feet under her and turn towards him. "I can't just forget and act like nothing happened."

"Changing states will help you forget?" He asked despite himself.

Sam glared at him in annoyance and sat up. Why was he making this so hard? It wasn't that she  _wanted_  to leave, but it was the only option. "At least I won't have to act like nothing happened. No one will be watching me, waiting for me to slip up."

Jack's hand shot out when she started getting up. "I'm sorry," he apologized, tugging on her wrist to keep her on the couch. "I understand how hard this is." The reason he knew was because he felt the same, only he was afraid that  _he_  would slip up and do something stupid to ruin her career or mess up her life more than he already had. "But why Nevada?"

"Area 51 has wanted me for years."

He snorted, tempted to say he felt the same but he couldn't. "So?"

She shrugged helplessly, her eyes glued to the fingers still wrapped around her wrist. "It gives me the opportunity to do more research, work more on the alien technology we brought back through the 'gate without having to risk my life on a daily basis. Besides, Janet might feel a bit more comfortable with Cassie going to university there if I'm near."

"You'll also get command of Stargate R&D," Jack added, recalling the paperwork he'd seen as he doubted reassuring Doc Fraiser was her priority. "You're sure about this?" When she nodded, he let out a deep sigh. Of course she had thought it through, this was Carter after all. "Okay."

"Just like that?" Sam questioned with a small frown. It wasn't that she'd expected him to beg or declare his undying love for her, but Jack O'Neill wasn't known for his easy acceptance.

He tightened his grip on her briefly and gave her a small smile. "There's nothing I can do to stop you," he shrugged, before turning serious. "Look Carter, if transferring will help you deal, then so be it. I don't want to traumatize you any further by–"

Startled that he would even think such a thing, she pulled back. "That's not what I meant, you didn't–"

"–keeping you at the SGC," Jack continued, ignoring her interruption. "Where you'll have to continue working with me and-"

"Jack!" Sam cried, punching his shoulder to get his attention.

He was shocked but easily caught her fist and held it. "Carter, what the hell?"

"Now will you listen to me?" She scowled at him.

Jack swallowed hard but gave her an almost imperceptible nod. It was the least he could do. "Yeah."

Sam took a deep breath as she tried to muster up the courage to explain what she'd actually meant. Feeling the scrutiny from his dark orbs, she lowered her gaze and noticed he was still holding her hand on his lap. She smiled sheepishly at the sight of his tanned hand securing her fist, almost as if he expected her to hit him again. "Do you think if I was traumatized by being around you, I'd be sitting here?"

He frowned as he took in her words. "Well, I didn't give you much choice by waltzing in here."

"Jack," she sighed and rolled her eyes in exasperation. Why was he being so stubborn? He knew her and therefore he had to know that if she really didn't want to see him she wouldn't have let him inside her house – commanding officer or not, she could still slam the door in his face. It was almost as if he wanted her to hate him for what had happened, but she knew she couldn't. She surprised herself though by how easily his name rolled off her lips. "We already went over this and established that neither of us is to blame for what happened. It wasn't," she took a fortifying breath, "it wasn't rape. We were both willing participants and I won't let you blame yourself over this."

"Carter, you came to me for help and I took advantage of you," he replied irritably.

Snorting, Sam cast him a disbelieving glance. "I think we both know my mindset was… um, of a more primitive nature," she blushed and looked away. "Why do you keep beating yourself up over this, it happened and now we have to move on."

"Because there are consequences," Jack replied, heaving a sigh. "And you're bearing the brunt of it." Seeing she was about to reply, he held up his free hand to stop her. "Carter, you've broken off your engagement and requested a transfer to a different state, for crying out loud! Not to mention that you could be pregnant."

She squirmed on the couch, her mind racing light-years a minute to find a way to explain her actions without giving too much away. "I won't deny that the… incident caused me to reevaluate certain things, but it also made me realize that Pete wasn't right for me, that I couldn't marry him. As for the transfer, I can use a change in pace after being shot at for almost eight years on a daily basis."

Jack huffed at her explanation and reached in his pocket with his free hand. "What about this?" He asked, holding up her engagement ring. He tried to keep the pain over what it symbolized off his face and out of his voice, but he couldn't help feel it. Of the few times he'd dared to imagine showing Samantha Carter an engagement ring, this definitely wasn't one of the scenarios.

"I guess I don't need it anymore," Sam whispered with a wistful smile. She wasn't sure if the melancholy she experienced was because of yet another failed engagement or because of the man in front of her. Never in a million times had she imagined she would be able to hurt the great and irreverent Jack O'Neill, but she couldn't mistake the pain in his eyes. That realization shook her to the core… did that mean he still cared about her? Was there still a chance for them? She locked her eyes on his and made a dismissive gesture with her hand towards the object.

"What, I'm not keeping it," he replied as he tried to unclench her fist and return the item in her palm. "It's not really my style, too gaudy," he joked, trying to inject some levity in their current situation. "Too bad you're transferring to Area 51, otherwise you could have pawned it off-world. I'm sure Ba'al or one of his few remaining cousins would love it."

Despite herself she giggled and took the ring from him. Leaning over, she tossed it on the table. She would figure out what to do with it later on, maybe send it back to Pete or something. Right now that wasn't really her concern, her main focus was – and would probably always be – on Jack O'Neill. "Jack, I'm trying to be serious here," she protested, trying to sound stern.

"I know," Jack said softly, casting his eyes to his lap. His fingers were still holding hers, almost like they were holding hands… "You know I'm no good at this talking stuff, Carter."

Gnawing her lip, Sam came to a decision. "Then just listen," she told him, before entwining her fingers with his.

Surprised at her gesture, he couldn't form a reply even if he wanted to so he just nodded and squeezed her fingers. Listen, he could do that; he could listen to her for days!

"What I meant was that since we've, um… been intimate," she cleared her throat awkwardly, suddenly unsure of how to proceed now that she had his attention. Daring a glance in his direction, she realized he felt awkward and uncomfortable as well. He was frowning and looked a bit flushed, which Sam thought was a cute look combined with his wayward hair.  _Focus Samantha_ , she told herself. "Since then, I just don't know… I don't know how to act around you," she finally confessed in one breath. "Not because you hurt me," she was quick to tell him when he frowned and abashedly looked away. "We were both more than willing… anyway, we crossed a line and I don't know how to go back. Back to being your 2IC and a friend after we, eh, had sex."

Jack sighed and dragged his hand through his hair in frustration as she was rambling. "Carter-"

"Let me finish," Sam berated him. When he fell silent and motioned for her to proceed, she was at a loss for words. So far she had only been thinking about talking to him about this and getting him to shut up and listen, but she hadn't planned ahead to when he would actually listen. "I'm supposed to keep my personal and professional life separate," she finally continued, her brows knitted together as she racked her brain for an explanation. "I don't know how to keep them separate anymore, to keep from crossing that line. It's as if the line disappeared together with the virus and now it's gone, and I don't know what to do."

Unsure of what to say – if he was even allowed to speak – Jack kept quiet, waiting for her to take a deep breath and calm the heck down, because she was rambling and not making a lot of sense. Their infection must have really shook her because he'd never seen her like this, so… unsure of herself and almost a bit panicked for lack of a better word.

"Every time I look at you, I'm reminded of what happened," she whispered, staring off in the distance. "I can't sleep because it all comes back in my dreams and I have a hard time focusing…"

"Carter," Jack hushed her when she nearly sobbed as her voice trailed off. His feelings for her were rising to the surface at seeing her so distraught, close to losing control and he wanted to comfort her. "C'mere," he murmured, sliding his free hand around the back of her neck and tugging on her fingers with the other until she fell in his embrace. After a few seconds of awkwardness she nearly melted against him. He dipped his head in her neck, burying his nose in her hair as she tried to regain control of herself. Despite her earlier reassurances, he still felt guilty especially now that she was nearly sobbing in his arms. He couldn't imagine what was going through her head because he'd never seen her like this and yet he was sure he was the cause of it. But why would she let him hold her if he upset her so much? It made no sense to him at all, but he enjoyed their embrace too much to pull back already.

Sam buried her face in his chest, one hand clutching his sweater while the other was still holding his. "I can't forget how it felt, what you tasted like and… how right it felt."

"Wait, what?" He tensed, wondering if he'd misunderstood her muffled voice. She tightened her hold on him and pressed herself even closer to his body, which, admittedly, felt good but he was still confused. "Carter?"

"Remember the… zatarc detector?"

Jack nodded, feeling a sense of doom rise at the memory. He'd been forced to confess he'd rather die than lose her, because he cared about her. A lot more than he was supposed to. "Yeah…"

Sam swallowed down her embarrassment and tried to hide her burning cheeks in his sweater. "Remember what I said?" Closing her eyes as she awaited his reply, she became aware of his heart pounding in his chest.

"Always," he murmured, after straining his ears to hear her softly spoken words. He'd never forget her admission. Even if they had agreed – well, she had suggested it and so he went along – to leave it in the room, he had been unable to keep her words from being etched in his memory, in his heart… Taking a deep breath, he was about to say something when she beat him to it.

"I still feel that way."

Jack's eyebrows nearly reached his hairline in shock at her whispered confession. "What, Carter?" He grabbed her arms and pulled her off him so he could look at her face. A flush had spread over her neck and face, but her eyes were closed and her mouth set in straight line of resignation.

"I know," Sam mumbled, feeling his eyes on her but unable to look at him. "I shouldn't. But I thought I could handle it and I  _did_!" She opened her eyes and found herself mesmerized by his dark orbs, so close to hers. "But then this… this virus came along and I don't know anymore."

His hands came up to cup her face as she shook her head. "Carter, shh. Calm down."

"I can't," she exclaimed, trying to pull away from his grasp. "I can't stop these, these… these inappropriate feelings. I don't want to feel them, but I can't help it!"

"Sam," Jack reached for her arm to keep her from walking away.

She tried to avoid his grip to get off the couch. "Now everything has been ruined!"

"What?" He barked in confusion and pulled her back before she made a run for it.

"I can't undo what happened and I can't forget," Sam elaborated before he tugged on her arm and she lost her momentum.

Jack fell back against the couch, the air expelled from his lungs as Carter fell on his chest. "Oomph!" Out of instinct his arms wrapped around her, keeping her sprawled form on top of him. "Sam," he panted, trying to breathe in some air. "Stop struggling," Jack ordered as soon as he could form two words. Her writhing body on top of his was not doing anything for his blood pressure and he could already feel himself responding to her closeness. "Talk to me, damn it."

"I was," she gritted through her teeth, her hands on his chest as she tried to keep still. "Just let me go."

"Promise not to run?" He questioned as he loosened his hold on her. Her response betrayed her though and before she could climb off him, he'd rolled them over on her small couch thanks to his special ops training. "Carter," Jack reverted back to the name he usually called her since she didn't seem to respond to her given one. At least, not when it came out of his mouth. Or maybe she was too distressed to notice it. "Just, take a deep breath and calm down," he suggested as he hovered above her, using his hands to keep his weight off her. It was a better position than the previous one for his ribs and there was less physical contact, although he already missed her body heat.

Sam turned her face away, her blood already zinging with his nearness and desire streaming through her veins. "I wasn't going to run. I just need some space," she mumbled, pushing gently against his chest to get him to move.

"Really?"

Hearing his skeptical tone, she narrowed her eyes and glared at him. "Yes, really. This is  _my_  house after all."

Jack simply arched an eyebrow in response and made no move. "Carter, talk to me."

"No," she protested lamely. God, what had she done? "I already said too much."

"No you haven't," he argued, leaning his weight on one arm to grasp her chin with his free hand. "Carter?"

Taking a deep breath, Sam looked at him and decided she might as well finish it. "What happened in your quarters… I don't know, I just can't stomp my feelings down anymore. After I was cured, I realized I still felt the same for you if not more but now that we've had sex I can't deny it anymore."

Jack's heart skipped a beat at her confession before it started pounding loudly. He couldn't believe what she was saying! Did that mean…? His mind was going in overdrive as he tried to process all the things she'd told him. "But-"

"I can't report to you anymore," Sam told him in an even tone. Now that she'd gotten it all off her chest she felt her control returning. She still felt embarrassed at her behavior and her confession, but at least she didn't have to pretend anymore. Up until this moment she hadn't realized how much energy it had taken her to suppress her feelings for him. "I had no choice but to request a transfer," she concluded.

He nodded slowly at her words, understanding sinking in. But he still couldn't comprehend what she'd said about her feelings for him. "I know," he blurted out. Frowning at himself, Jack wondered what the hell he was doing. He couldn't tell her what was on his mind or how he felt about her, instead he should leave. Now!

As she was watching the emotions flitter over his face, Sam finally understood. He meant it because he felt the same! It made sense now, his earlier behavior and how he'd tried to take the blame for everything. He felt guilty because he'd wanted it too… he'd enjoyed it as much as she had. Because of his position as base commander he'd kept his distance and tried to sweep it under the carpet. At first she'd thought it was because he didn't care about her but now she started to suspect that he'd done it _because_  he cared about her. "Jack…"

"No," he shook his head. "I should go, this was a bad idea."

"Don't!" Sam cried out, grasping his upper arms with her hands to keep him in place. "I love you, Jack O'Neill," she whispered as she held his gaze.

Jack swallowed hard and tried to ignore the joy he felt at her words, to suppress his longing and the desire he felt for her. "Carter, don't… you can't-"

"I can," she stated calmly. Digging her nails in his arms, she lifted her head and pressed her lips against his. Before he could pull away she wrapped her arm around his shoulders and slid one hand in his hair to keep him in place.

"No," he mumbled against her mouth. But before he could do anything, her lips were moving against his and then her tongue peeked out… "Oh fuck," he growled when her hips moved against him.

Sam took the opportunity and thrust her tongue inside his mouth as she brought her leg up to his hip. "Jack, please," she mumbled between kisses.

Finally giving in, he responded and ground against her while his tongue dueled with hers. She tasted so sweet and god, her body fit his like it was made for him. "Sam," he whispered, breaking off the kiss. "Samantha…"

"Don't stop," she whimpered, nuzzling his neck. "I love you."

Jack's control was slipping and all he could think about was making her his. Making love to her the way he'd always wanted to, instead of going at it like a couple of primitives. "We can't," he forced himself to say as he dropped his forehead on her shoulder.

"Yes, we can," Sam mumbled as she pressed a kiss against his temple. "Remember? I can't report to you anymore," she reminded him of her earlier words. It had hit her the moment she told him. "I report to General Hammond starting Monday."

"You sure?" He asked breathlessly, holding on to his control even as her hips continued to roll against his.

She bobbed her head and gestured towards the coffee table. "Check the paperwork…"

"Fuck the paperwork," Jack growled, trusting her on her word. "You're sure about this?"

Sam was about to get up and show him the papers, until she looked into his eyes. He was asking her if she was sure about  _them_. "Never been surer of anything in my life," she smiled.

"Good." Her megawatt smile stole his breath away, making him grin in kind as he rose up on his knees. Reaching out his arm, he grabbed her hand to pull her up. "I want to do this right. Besides, my ribs are killing me."

"Holy Hannah, I almost forgot!" Sam's hand immediately reached for his bruised ribs when she stood, but he caught it against his chest.

"Bedroom,  _Samantha_ ," Jack whispered with a twinkle in his eyes.

* * *

Lying on the bed, Sam held his naked body close to her. His weight pressed her back in the mattress, the cool linen underneath her a welcoming contrast to his body heat. She let her hands slide down his back, careful not to bump against his ribs with her arms. Her eyes fluttered close as his mouth trailed kissed down her neck. She gasped when he nipped on her pulse point and she could feel him smile against her overheated skin. His fingers brushed up and down her side, leaving goose bumps in their wake. She shuddered when he shifted in her arms, his hips grinding against hers. Lifting her legs she opened herself further for him as he continued kissing a path down her body. "Jack, please," she pleaded.

Jack reverently licked and kissed all the marks he'd left on her body, trying to soothe her pain. "So sorry," he mumbled against her skin, over and over again as he reached a new one.

Sam was barely aware of her surroundings, only the feel of him. His touch, his delicious scent and the way he tasted. It made her head spin, blood racing through her body and it was heard to hear anything besides her pounding heart. She kneaded the muscles in his lower back, before sliding her hands lower and cupping his ass. "Jack," she pulled him closer. "Make love to me."

Opening his heavy-lidded eyes, he found her dark blue orbs staring back at him. He smirked, moving up her body to capture her lips with his. His tongue slipped inside her mouth, exploring, tasting. Her warm skin, her taste and the delicious vanilla body lotion mixed with her Carter scent was driving him wild. But he reined in his desires as he'd promised himself that he wouldn't hurt her again. Slowly but surely his hand cupped her breast, kneading the firm mound before his fingers toyed with her hardened nipple. He remembered everything that had happened between them when they'd been infected and he knew what she liked, he just had to be gentle this time. The soft little whimpers his fingers elicited from her made him harden even further, his body restless and in need for more contact.

As he ground harder against her, Sam gasped. Her legs tightening around his hips as she tried to pull him in. Her breathing became labored when he sucked a nipple in her mouth, her hands moving restlessly over his back. "More," she moaned, rubbing herself against his erection. The friction of their heated flesh fueled her arousal further and she slipped her hand to the back of his neck to steer his ministrations. Jolts of arousal went straight to her core as he switched to her other breast and his hand slid up her thigh.

Jack groaned when he felt how wet she already was, his own arousal nearly overwhelming him. His fingers slipped through her folds, reacquainting himself with her sensitive flesh. "Okay?" He murmured, unsure if she was still sore from their previous escapades since he could remember how rough he'd been with her.

"Yesss," Sam hissed as his finger circled her opening. Although she was a bit apprehensive as to how it would be with him inside of her, his caresses felt amazing.

Following her lead, he brushed his cock through her folds and nuzzled his way up her neck. His tongue darted out when he reached her ear, teasingly dipping in and out before he kissed his way to her mouth. "Sam," he whispered, waiting for her to open her eyes and look at him. "I love you, Samantha Carter."

She swallowed hard against the swell of emotions his declaration evoked, his brown eyes dark and intense. Willing her to believe. "I know." She kissed him again and reached down between their bodies. "I love you too, Jack."

He smiled at her, leaning to the side as her hand moved lower and lower. Jack's eyes fluttered close when her fingers wrapped around his erection and he fought to keep himself from thrusting in her hand. He still couldn't believe this was happening, that he was really here with Carter –  _Samantha_  – without the influence of an alien virus. And she loved him! "You're so beautiful," he gasped in awe as his eyes roamed over her body. Pressing another kiss on her lips, he slipped his hand back and opened her further.

Sam easily guided him to her opening, her back arching when she felt him enter her. "Oh God."

Thrusting deeper inside her, Jack groaned as her inner muscles fluttered to accommodate him. His free hand brushed a few blonde strands out of her face, before his fingers tangled in the golden locks. Catching her mouth with his own, he swallowed her low moan as he thrust again. "So good," he murmured against her lips.

"More," she urged him, locking her ankles behind his back. His head dropped to her shoulder and she tipped her head back to give him more room. Sam was lost in the throes of passion as she rocked with him, the only thing she was aware of was their harsh breathing, his mumbled sweet nothings against her neck and how perfect he felt thrusting in and out of her.

He was losing himself inside of her and he briefly wondered why they had waited so long before making love properly. But all thoughts left his mind when she clenched around him. He knew she was close, by the way her body responded and the soft little mews that escaped her lips. Blindly using his fingers, Jack stroked her little bundle of nerves as he pulled out of her nearly completely before thrusting back in. "Sam," he gasped.

Arching her back, she ground against him and pushed her breasts against his broad chest. Her sensitive nipples were on fire as he moved over her and Sam felt liked she was about to explode when he pushed down on her clit. Suddenly, her orgasm ripped through her body. "Jaaaack!"

Jack growled as she came, her inner muscles pulling on him. He picked up his pace, thrusting harder as he drove for his own release. Latching onto her neck with his teeth, he muffled the scream from his climax as his hips jerked and he spilled himself inside of her. "Wow," he mumbled after a few seconds.

Sam giggled softly, her arms and legs still cradling his body. "Yeah," she agreed, still a bit breathless.

Reluctantly, he slipped out of her and rolled on his back. He smirked and pressed a kiss on her temple when she immediately curled into his side. Jack was enjoying their post-orgasmic haze until he remembered what had led up to this. She was still leaving! "When is your transfer?"

"Not sure," she frowned and cuddled closer. "General Hammond said it would probably be a couple of weeks," Sam reluctantly elaborated. Reaching down, she pulled the covers over them and closed her eyes. Her cheek was resting on his chest and her leg thrown over his leg, as she hoped he'd let the subject rest so she could enjoy this moment.

Jack nodded, looking down at her but only seeing the top of her blonde head. "Your own command of an entire department," he said slowly, when he suddenly recalled something. "Crap!"

Sam's head snapped up. "What?"

"Stargate Research and Development," he mused aloud.

"Yes…" she confirmed with a puzzled frown.

Jack placed both his hands over his face as he realized what that meant. "Hammond's going to retire once his year is up."

Completely confused now, Sam looked at him. "So?"

"He wants me to take over Homeworld Security," he replied, even though he shouldn't considering it was classified and months away.

"That's great," she retorted, although she couldn't muster up much enthusiasm. "I mean, it will be long distance, but we can still make it work… right?"

Jack shook his head adamantly. "No-"

"What?" She gasped in shock.

"Carter," he sighed deeply, nearly dislodging her from his chest. "Stargate R&D reports directly to HWS. We'll be back in the same chain of command with me as your CO." Jack held his breath as he waited for her response. He'd tried to break it to her as gently as possible, but he wasn't sure what to think himself.

Sam stayed quiet for a few minutes, her mind going light-years a minute. Leaning up on his chest, she looked him in the eye. "Marry me."

"What?" Jack blurted out as he sat up straight, causing her to roll off him.

"Marry me," she repeated calmly, even though she was terrified on the inside. What if he said no? "Jack," she sat up and grabbed his hand. "I love you and I have for a long time now… we have a couple of months until we're back in the same chain of command, until General Hammond retires. I couldn't go back after a bout of alien influence, remember?" She chuckled nervously. "I don't think I can give us up when you get promoted."

Still slightly shocked, he realized she was being serious. And the scary thing was that it made perfect sense. Once they were married they  _could_  be in the same chain of command. His heart was still pounding but he slowly nodded, unable to say something.

"Is… is that a… a yes?" Sam questioned softly, her voice trembling with insecurity.

Jack pulled on her arm and quickly wrapped his arms around, enveloping her in his embrace. Pressing a kiss against her temple, he smirked. He was going to marry Samantha Carter! "Yes!"

A smile broke on her face and she kissed him passionately. "I can't believe it," she said, giddy with joy as she pulled him down on the bed again.

"Unless," he mumbled as she curled up in his side.

"What?" Sam asked wide-eyed.

Looking at her alarmed expression, Jack shrugged. "Unless you need to think it over… for two weeks or so," he teased her.

"Jaaaack," she cried indignantly, punching his shoulder.

 

The End…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. As always, I would love to hear your thoughts on my fic.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: see profile
> 
> Acknowledgments: A Karswyll helped me brainstorm on the plot, work out a cultural background and figure out a way to correct the errors in The Broca Divide with me, so that it actually makes sense. Many thanks.
> 
> I don't have a beta, so any mistakes are my own. I wouldn't mind feedback and/or constructive criticism or just a comment to let me know why you (don't) like it.


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